Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) PT Lowered to $250.00 at Evercore ISI

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) had its price target cut by Evercore ISI from $255.00 to $250.00 in a research note released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an in-line rating on the home improvement retailer’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on LOW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. Gordon Haskett reissued a hold rating and issued a $245.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $238.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $251.33.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $215.21 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $123.14 billion, a PE ratio of 17.29, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.15. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $236.44 and a 200 day moving average of $224.81. Lowe’s Companies has a one year low of $181.85 and a one year high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.94 by $0.12. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.46% and a negative return on equity of 48.52%. The business had revenue of $21.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies will post 12.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th were given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.34%.

Institutional Trading of Lowe’s Companies

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 5.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 53,693,630 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $13,677,378,000 after buying an additional 2,674,372 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,930,693 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,271,836,000 after purchasing an additional 116,855 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,638,746,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,138,824 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,483,733,000 after purchasing an additional 78,901 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,211,131 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $714,637,000 after purchasing an additional 41,451 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.