Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Lowe's Companies, Inc. has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from twenty-six brokerages, with an average 12-month target price of $285.50.
• Recent insider trading saw EVP Brandon J. Sink and EVP Joseph Michael Mcfarland sell significant shares, reducing their holdings by 27.49% and 39.69%, respectively.
• Lowe's reported earnings of $4.33 EPS for the last quarter, beating analysts' expectations of $4.24, while its revenue was slightly below estimates at $23.96 billion.

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-six ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation and sixteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $285.50.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on LOW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $266.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Lowe's Companies to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $280.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $240.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st.

Insider Activity

In other Lowe's Companies news, EVP Brandon J. Sink sold 8,192 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.58, for a total transaction of $2,200,207.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,603 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,802,133.74. The trade was a 27.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Joseph Michael Mcfarland sold 43,810 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.60, for a total transaction of $11,942,606.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 66,566 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,145,891.60. This represents a 39.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 92,931 shares of company stock valued at $24,945,752. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lowe's Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $821,000. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 4.3% during the second quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 1,094 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $243,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Canal Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Lowe's Companies by 3.0% in the second quarter. Canal Capital Management LLC now owns 1,621 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $360,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. NWF Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 3.8% in the second quarter. NWF Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,192 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $486,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC now owns 1,446 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Trading Down 0.6%

LOW opened at $255.71 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $143.41 billion, a PE ratio of 21.01, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.87. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $250.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $233.07. Lowe's Companies has a 1-year low of $206.38 and a 1-year high of $287.01.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.33 earnings per share (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 company 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 EPS. Lowe's Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 22nd will be issued a $0.012 dividend. This represents a $0.05 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 22nd. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is presently 39.44%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.