Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) Trading Up 1%

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) shares traded up 1% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $239.65 and last traded at $238.65. 466,907 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 2,520,406 shares. The stock had previously closed at $236.19.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on LOW shares. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $243.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $250.19.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $229.40 and its 200 day moving average is $231.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $137.45 billion, a PE ratio of 19.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.07.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.94 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $21.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.14 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.46% and a negative return on equity of 48.52%. The company’s revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.67 EPS. Analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 24th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 24th. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.95%.

Institutional Trading of Lowe’s Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LOW. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% during the second quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Company Profile

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.