Lowe’s Companies Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:LOW)

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock investors acquired 13,192 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 51% compared to the average volume of 8,758 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.71.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Lowe’s Companies stock traded up $4.75 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $231.82. 962,977 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,274,143. Lowe’s Companies has a 12 month low of $211.80 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The company has a market cap of $130.90 billion, a PE ratio of 19.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $247.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $257.88.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.98%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 37.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.