Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) Upgraded at Gordon Haskett

Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $325.00 target price on the home improvement retailer’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on LOW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. DA Davidson cut their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $266.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $320.00 to $315.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.92.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE LOW opened at $276.87 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $155.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.96, a P/E/G ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 0.96. Lowe’s Companies has a 1-year low of $206.38 and a 1-year high of $278.21. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $244.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $244.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $20.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.88 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.05% and a negative return on equity of 55.86%. The company’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.89 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 21st will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 21st. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.17, for a total transaction of $4,701,060.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 231,043 shares in the company, valued at $60,341,500.31. This represents a 7.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LOW. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 3.7% in the second quarter. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,888 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,859,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 154,692 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $34,322,000 after purchasing an additional 3,947 shares during the period. Strathmore Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,717,000. First Pacific Financial increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 147.3% during the second quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 2,752 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $611,000 after buying an additional 1,639 shares during the period. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 0.7% during the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 826,356 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $183,344,000 after buying an additional 5,820 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

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.