Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) Upgraded to Buy by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Wednesday.

LOW has been the subject of several other reports. Gordon Haskett reaffirmed a hold rating and set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. DA Davidson cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Wedbush reissued a neutral rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an in-line rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $243.00 to $240.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $250.04.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW stock opened at $238.52 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $223.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $228.67. The stock has a market cap of $135.92 billion, a PE ratio of 19.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.08. Lowe’s Companies has a 1 year low of $181.85 and a 1 year high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $21.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.14 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 48.52% and a net margin of 8.46%. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies will post 12.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 24th. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 35.34%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pure Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2.5% in the second quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,813 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Private Management Group Inc. boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 1,205 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. McAdam LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 1,363 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $347,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. First Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 1,509 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $384,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zhang Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 7,549 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,664,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Company Profile

Lowe's Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a home improvement retailer in the United States. The company offers a line of products for construction, maintenance, repair, remodeling, and decorating. It also provides home improvement products, such as appliances, seasonal and outdoor living, lawn and garden, lumber, kitchens and bath, tools, paint, millwork, hardware, flooring, rough plumbing, building materials, décor, and electrical.