Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) Cut to “Hold” at Gordon Haskett

Gordon Haskett downgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Thursday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has $200.00 price target on the home improvement retailer’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $276.00 to $274.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $261.00 to $254.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $275.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $279.00 to $252.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $255.97.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $189.21 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $207.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $220.18. Lowe’s Companies has a twelve month low of $187.15 and a twelve month high of $293.06. The firm has a market cap of $106.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.85.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.22 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $25.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $26.13 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 7.34% and a negative return on equity of 75.67%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.33 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.250 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies will post 12.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 21st will be paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 21st. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 42.27%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LOW. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 113,050 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $24,926,000 after purchasing an additional 452 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 27.2% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 18,849 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $4,156,000 after purchasing an additional 4,027 shares during the last quarter. Andra AP fonden increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 14.6% in the second quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 105,313 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $23,220,000 after buying an additional 13,400 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.6% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,329,373 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,584,873,000 after buying an additional 880,815 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rench Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.7% in the second quarter. Rench Wealth Management Inc. now owns 20,438 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,506,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Lowe’s Companies

Here are the key news stories impacting Lowe’s Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lowe’s launched a drone-delivery pilot at its Matthews, North Carolina, store with DoorDash and Alphabet’s Wing. Eligible DIY and professional customers can receive more than 100 select products weighing up to roughly 2.5 pounds in as little as 20 minutes. The service expands Lowe’s fulfillment options and could improve convenience, customer engagement and delivery competitiveness. Lowe’s Becomes First Home Improvement Retailer to Offer Drone Delivery
• Positive Sentiment: The initiative positions Lowe’s as the first major home-improvement retailer to offer drone delivery and leverages Wing and DoorDash infrastructure already operating in the Charlotte area. If the pilot succeeds, Lowe’s could expand it to additional stores and use it to capture urgent, smaller purchases. Lowe’s debuts drone delivery pilot with Wing, DoorDash
• Neutral Sentiment: The immediate financial impact of drone delivery is likely limited because the pilot covers only one store and lightweight items. Investors will look for evidence that the service increases sales without creating excessive fulfillment or partnership costs.
• Neutral Sentiment: Lowe’s most recent quarterly results provide some support: earnings exceeded expectations and revenue increased year over year, although sales were slightly below consensus. Management’s full-year EPS guidance remains an important focus for investors.
• Negative Sentiment: Gordon Haskett downgraded Lowe’s from “buy” to “hold” and reduced its price target from $240 to $200. The lower target reflects a more cautious view of the stock’s near-term upside and helped pressure shares during the prior session. Gordon Haskett downgrades Lowe’s
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually heavy put-option activity indicates that some traders are positioning for additional downside, although options flows are not definitive evidence of future performance. Heavy LOW put-options activity

About Lowe’s Companies

Lowe’s Companies, Inc is a home improvement retailer that serves homeowners, renters, and professional contractors primarily through stores and digital platforms in the United States. The company sells a broad selection of products for maintenance, repair, remodeling, and construction projects.

Its merchandise includes appliances, tools, hardware, lumber, building materials, plumbing and electrical supplies, paint, flooring, lighting, kitchen and bathroom products, outdoor living items, lawn and garden products, and seasonal goods.