Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) Price Target Increased to $250.00 by Analysts at Loop Capital

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) had its price objective increased by Loop Capital from $230.00 to $250.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. Loop Capital currently has a hold rating on the home improvement retailer’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Wedbush reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $272.00 to $270.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. UBS Group increased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Gordon Haskett reduced 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Twelve 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, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $263.54.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $271.97 on Wednesday. Lowe’s Companies has a 52-week low of $181.85 and a 52-week high of $274.16. The company has a market capitalization of $154.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $248.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $236.73.

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 the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The business had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.93 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.56 EPS. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies will post 11.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be paid a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. 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 yield of 1.69%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.95%.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lowe’s Companies

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% during the second quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the second quarter valued at about $37,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.