Brokerages Set Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Target Price at $285.50

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $285.50.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LOW. Barclays set a $267.00 price target on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $266.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $243.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 929 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.20, for a total value of $238,938.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,741,462.80. The trade was a 2.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.10, for a total transaction of $10,564,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 249,043 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,772,256.30. This trade represents a 13.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 92,931 shares of company stock valued at $24,945,752. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lowe’s Companies

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Solstein Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 627.8% during the second quarter. Solstein Capital LLC now owns 131 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 128.8% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 135 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $251.20 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $140.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $252.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $233.68. Lowe’s Companies has a 1 year low of $206.38 and a 1 year high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $23.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.99 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 52.02% and a net margin of 8.20%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period 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. As a group, research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.44%.

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.