Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Thursday.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.35.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE LOW opened at $223.05 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $242.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $256.46. The firm has a market cap of $124.84 billion, a PE ratio of 18.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. Lowe’s Companies has a 52 week low of $211.80 and a 52 week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The company had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. Research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.06%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. United Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. United Bank now owns 10,099 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,735,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter valued at $205,000. Rench Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Rench Wealth Management Inc. now owns 18,547 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $5,024,000 after purchasing an additional 1,228 shares in the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 240,526 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $65,146,000 after purchasing an additional 6,210 shares during the period. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 67.6% in the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 48,707 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $13,192,000 after purchasing an additional 19,648 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.