Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) Given New $250.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) had its price target hoisted by Stifel Nicolaus from $225.00 to $250.00 in a report published on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the home improvement retailer’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on LOW. Zelman & Associates reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an in-line rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from an average rating to an outperform rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Gordon Haskett reaffirmed a hold rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $238.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $252.67.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Lowe’s Companies stock traded down $1.84 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $230.42. 699,514 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,395,258. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $238.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $223.52. Lowe’s Companies has a 1 year low of $181.85 and a 1 year high of $262.49. The company has a market capitalization of $131.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.15.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.94% and a negative return on equity of 51.42%. The business had revenue of $18.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.28 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 17.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies will post 12.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th were paid a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.43%.

Institutional Trading of Lowe’s Companies

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. ING Groep NV bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter worth $117,000. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 13,479 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,802,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Private Management Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $241,000. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter worth about $203,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 23.0% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 367,604 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $76,403,000 after acquiring an additional 68,806 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.