Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $271.52.

LOW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Truist Financial set a $264.00 target price on Lowe’s Companies and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 target price on Lowe’s Companies and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th.

Institutional Trading of Lowe’s Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE:LOW opened at $221.08 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies has a 12-month low of $206.39 and a 12-month high of $287.01. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $224.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $244.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $123.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. Lowe’s Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.06 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.08%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.67%.

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.