Stifel Nicolaus Lowers Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) Price Target to $230.00

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) had its price objective lowered by investment analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $275.00 to $230.00 in a research report issued on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the home improvement retailer’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target suggests a potential upside of 0.80% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Mizuho increased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 29th. Gordon Haskett raised Lowe’s Companies to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $269.00 to $294.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $266.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.91.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of LOW traded down $3.29 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $228.18. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 725,004 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,681,146. The company has a 50 day moving average of $248.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $237.25. The firm has a market cap of $127.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.87. Lowe’s Companies has a 1-year low of $206.38 and a 1-year high of $280.64.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.20% and a negative return on equity of 52.02%. The firm had revenue of $23.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Joseph Michael Mcfarland sold 43,810 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.60, for a total value of $11,942,606.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 66,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,145,891.60. This trade represents a 39.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 249,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,772,256.30. The trade was a 13.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 92,931 shares of company stock worth $24,945,752. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,773,624,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter worth $681,215,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 102.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,204,311 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,056,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,122,622 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 2,984.6% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,038,069 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $475,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,971,996 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 207.2% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,058,086 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $517,218,000 after purchasing an additional 1,388,133 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.