Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) had its price objective raised by Credit Suisse Group from $188.00 to $205.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning, Price Targets.com reports. Credit Suisse Group currently has an outperform rating on the home improvement retailer’s stock.
LOW has been the subject of several other research reports. Gordon Haskett raised Lowe’s Companies from an accumulate rating to a buy rating and set a $202.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 3rd. Citigroup raised their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $195.00 to $239.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $222.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, May 18th. Atlantic Securities raised Lowe’s Companies from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and set a $240.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 20th. Finally, Zelman & Associates reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Lowe’s Companies has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $199.55.
Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $192.47 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 49.23, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $138.04 billion, a PE ratio of 18.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.35. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $199.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $174.59. Lowe’s Companies has a fifty-two week low of $119.07 and a fifty-two week high of $215.22.
Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 18th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.58 by $0.63. The business had revenue of $24.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.91 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a return on equity of 296.41% and a net margin of 7.23%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 24.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.77 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 21st were given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 20th. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.09%.
In other Lowe’s Companies news, Director David H. Batchelder acquired 6,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $159.48 per share, for a total transaction of $996,750.00. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.15% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LOW. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,285,445,000. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 30,352,415 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $4,871,866,000 after purchasing an additional 2,940,777 shares in the last quarter. Maj Invest Holding A S grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 106.9% in the 4th quarter. Maj Invest Holding A S now owns 1,934,106 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $310,443,000 after buying an additional 999,428 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 6,502,725 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,043,751,000 after buying an additional 982,465 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 46.3% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,075,093 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $584,821,000 after buying an additional 973,815 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.18% 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 and internationally. The company offers a line of products for construction, maintenance, repair, remodeling, and decorating. It provides home improvement products in various categories, such as appliances, décor, paint, hardware, millwork, lawn and garden, lighting, lumber and building materials, flooring, kitchens and bath, rough plumbing and electrical, seasonal and outdoor living, and tools.
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