Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW) Raised to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Wednesday.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their price target 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. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Lowe's Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Lowe's Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $279.71.

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Lowe's Companies Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE LOW traded down $3.97 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $228.20. 2,114,045 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,418,250. The stock has a market cap of $127.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.03, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. Lowe's Companies has a 1 year low of $211.80 and a 1 year high of $287.01. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $245.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $257.31.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.29 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.67%.

Institutional Trading of Lowe's Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 4.0% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 649,601 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $175,944,000 after purchasing an additional 24,812 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 288.6% during the 4th quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 19,028 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $4,696,000 after buying an additional 14,132 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 362,209 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $98,104,000 after buying an additional 4,435 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 19,830 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $4,894,000 after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its position in Lowe's Companies by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 472,838 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $116,696,000 after acquiring an additional 7,187 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Company Profile

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.