StockNews.com Lowers Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) to Hold

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW – Get Rating) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Wedbush raised their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, December 8th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Lowe’s Companies to $225.00 in a research note on Monday, December 12th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 6th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a neutral rating on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 7th. They set an equal weight rating and a $215.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $224.81.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

NYSE LOW opened at $197.36 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $122.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $205.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $201.06. Lowe’s Companies has a fifty-two week low of $170.12 and a fifty-two week high of $238.37.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 1st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $22.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.71 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 82.30% and a net margin of 6.63%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.78 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies will post 13.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Donald Frieson sold 9,411 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.00, for a total value of $1,853,967.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,523,936. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 13.0% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 11,173 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,098,000 after purchasing an additional 1,283 shares in the last quarter. Financial Strategies Group Inc. lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 26.2% during the third quarter. Financial Strategies Group Inc. now owns 5,916 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,111,000 after purchasing an additional 1,229 shares in the last quarter. New Millennium Group LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the second quarter valued at $47,000. PFS Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 6.8% in the third quarter. PFS Investments Inc. now owns 11,740 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,205,000 after acquiring an additional 746 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 6.5% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 42,759 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $8,031,000 after acquiring an additional 2,592 shares in the last quarter. 72.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Company Profile

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Lowe’s Cos., Inc engages in the retail sale of home improvement products. The firm offers products for maintenance, repair, remodeling, home decorating and property maintenance. It also provides home improvement products in the following categories: appliances, bathroom, building supply, electrical, flooring, hardware, paint, kitchen, plumbing, lighting & fans, outdoor living, windows and doors.