Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) Upgraded at StockNews.com

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

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on LOW. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.71.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 1.7 %

LOW opened at $228.20 on Wednesday. Lowe’s Companies has a 1-year low of $211.80 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The company has a market cap of $127.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $245.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $257.24.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $18.55 billion during 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 forecast that Lowe’s Companies will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 37.67%.

Institutional Trading of Lowe’s Companies

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,842,954,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 350.2% during the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,373,460 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $585,770,000 after buying an additional 1,846,315 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $314,435,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 24,531.0% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,228,102 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $303,096,000 after acquiring an additional 1,223,116 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,745,960,000 after acquiring an additional 993,833 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

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.