Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-six research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have given a hold recommendation and twenty-three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $264.5667.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Wolfe Research set a $254.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $228.00 to $202.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $264.00 to $232.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $276.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 56,230,787 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $13,560,617,000 after buying an additional 924,625 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,036,276 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $6,291,867,000 after acquiring an additional 124,501 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,326,581 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,201,329,000 after purchasing an additional 887,579 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $1,993,697,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,830,080 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,716,467,000 after purchasing an additional 103,827 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW opened at $216.32 on Wednesday. Lowe’s Companies has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $293.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $121.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $229.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $246.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $23.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.98 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 67.96% and a net margin of 7.51%.Lowe’s Companies’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.92 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.57%.

About Lowe’s Companies

Lowe’s Companies, Inc is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and digital channels serving both do-it-yourself homeowners and professional contractors. The company offers a broad assortment of products including building materials, lumber, appliances, tools and hardware, plumbing and electrical supplies, paint, flooring, kitchen and bath fixtures, outdoor and garden products, and home decor. Lowe’s also provides a range of services such as installation, home improvement financing, tool and equipment rental, and contractor-focused sales programs.

Operations are centered on a nationwide brick-and-mortar store network supported by distribution centers and an e-commerce platform that enables online ordering, delivery and in-store pickup.