Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) Stock Price Up 0.6%

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)’s share price traded up 0.6% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $242.83 and last traded at $239.10. 413,824 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 2,518,009 shares. The stock had previously closed at $237.64.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on LOW shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $243.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $246.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $250.19.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 1.0 %

The firm has a market cap of $136.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.27, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $228.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $231.36.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.94 by $0.12. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.46% and a negative return on equity of 48.52%. The company had revenue of $21.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.67 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 24th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.25%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 36.95%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,880 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,086,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 18,786.5% in the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 106,709 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $23,748,000 after acquiring an additional 106,144 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC now owns 215,442 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $47,947,000 after acquiring an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 824.6% during the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 15,339 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,414,000 after purchasing an additional 13,680 shares during the period. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 10.3% in the 1st quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 216,958 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $55,266,000 after purchasing an additional 20,181 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

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.