Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Stifel Nicolaus Analyst Says

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) had its price target lifted by Stifel Nicolaus from $240.00 to $265.00 in a report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the home improvement retailer’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on LOW. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $253.00 to $242.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $272.26.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of LOW stock opened at $257.2410 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $144.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.89. The business’s 50 day moving average is $228.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $230.35. Lowe’s Companies has a 12-month low of $206.38 and a 12-month high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $23.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.99 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%.Lowe’s Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.10 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd were issued a $1.20 dividend. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 39.77%.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LOW. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% in the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 125,299 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $29,223,000 after acquiring an additional 1,470 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 106,305 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $26,236,000 after acquiring an additional 13,092 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 8.1% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 16,551 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,860,000 after acquiring an additional 1,242 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,745,960,000 after acquiring an additional 993,833 shares during the period. Finally, Advent Capital Management DE grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 20.0% in the first quarter. Advent Capital Management DE now owns 18,000 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $4,198,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.