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

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-six analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $252.52.

Several analysts have weighed in on LOW shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $190.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 21.3% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,690,606 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,329,237,000 after acquiring an additional 2,050,089 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,638,746,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,138,824 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,483,733,000 after buying an additional 78,901 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 27.6% during the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,209,241 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,159,315,000 after buying an additional 1,127,790 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 107,710.7% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,080,039 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,012,147,000 after buying an additional 5,075,327 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

LOW opened at $228.76 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $130.89 billion, a PE ratio of 17.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.13. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $239.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $218.46. Lowe’s Companies has a 12-month low of $181.85 and a 12-month high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.94% and a negative return on equity of 51.42%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.28 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be issued a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 33.43%.

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.