Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty-six ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have given a hold recommendation and twenty-three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $264.5667.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LOW. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $277.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $303.00 to $281.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. KeyCorp cut their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $325.00 to $279.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $315.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 18th.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.83, for a total value of $559,575.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,220 shares in the company, valued at $4,525,842.60. This represents a 11.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.81, for a total transaction of $2,097,477.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,142 shares in the company, valued at $3,628,883.02. This trade represents a 36.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 25,980 shares of company stock valued at $5,796,937 in the last quarter. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 56,230,787 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $13,560,617,000 after acquiring an additional 924,625 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,036,276 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $6,291,867,000 after purchasing an additional 124,501 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,326,581 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,201,329,000 after purchasing an additional 887,579 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $1,993,697,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,830,080 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,716,467,000 after purchasing an additional 103,827 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of LOW stock opened at $204.49 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $215.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $240.76. Lowe’s Companies has a 52 week low of $201.88 and a 52 week high of $293.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $114.66 billion, a PE ratio of 17.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.86.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.06. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 7.51% and a negative return on equity of 67.96%. The company had revenue of $23.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.98 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.92 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 22nd. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 40.57%.

Lowe’s Companies Company Profile

Lowe’s Companies, Inc is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and digital channels serving both do-it-yourself homeowners and professional contractors. The company offers a broad assortment of products including building materials, lumber, appliances, tools and hardware, plumbing and electrical supplies, paint, flooring, kitchen and bath fixtures, outdoor and garden products, and home decor. Lowe’s also provides a range of services such as installation, home improvement financing, tool and equipment rental, and contractor-focused sales programs.

Operations are centered on a nationwide brick-and-mortar store network supported by distribution centers and an e-commerce platform that enables online ordering, delivery and in-store pickup.