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

Key Points

• Lowe’s has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 30 brokerages, with 20 buy ratings and 10 hold ratings. The average 12-month price target is about $289.10.
• Recent analyst actions were mostly positive, including price target increases from JPMorgan, Guggenheim, Piper Sandler, and Mizuho. Sanford C. Bernstein was the exception, trimming its target slightly while keeping an outperform rating.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.98 versus $1.94 expected and revenue of $20.59 billion versus $20.34 billion expected. Lowe’s also pays a quarterly dividend of $1.20, equal to a 2.1% annual yield.

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the thirty brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twenty have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $289.1034.

LOW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $300.00 price objective (up from $294.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $272.00 to $294.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $313.00 to $303.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 26th.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

LOW opened at $229.07 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $242.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $249.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.33, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.91. Lowe's Companies has a 12 month low of $210.33 and a 12 month high of $293.06.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $20.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.34 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 61.40% and a net margin of 7.71%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.93 EPS. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.75 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Lowe's Companies will post 12.61 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 22nd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lowe's Companies

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Lowe's Companies by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 56,230,787 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $13,560,617,000 after purchasing an additional 924,625 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Lowe's Companies by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,036,276 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $6,291,867,000 after purchasing an additional 124,501 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Lowe's Companies by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,326,581 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $3,201,329,000 after buying an additional 887,579 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth $1,993,697,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Lowe's Companies by 1.5% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,830,080 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,716,467,000 after buying an additional 103,827 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe's Companies Company Profile

Lowe's Companies, Inc is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and digital channels serving both do-it-yourself homeowners and professional contractors. The company offers a broad assortment of products including building materials, lumber, appliances, tools and hardware, plumbing and electrical supplies, paint, flooring, kitchen and bath fixtures, outdoor and garden products, and home decor. Lowe's also provides a range of services such as installation, home improvement financing, tool and equipment rental, and contractor-focused sales programs.

Operations are centered on a nationwide brick-and-mortar store network supported by distribution centers and an e-commerce platform that enables online ordering, delivery and in-store pickup.

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