Brokerages Set Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Price Target at $252.83

Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $253.48.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Gordon Haskett cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,334,678.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% in the second quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of LOW opened at $260.14 on Monday. Lowe’s Companies has a 52-week low of $181.85 and a 52-week high of $262.49. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $243.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $235.32. The company has a market capitalization of $148.24 billion, a PE ratio of 20.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.10.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.56 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies will post 11.93 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.95%.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.