Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW) Price Target Lowered to $255.00 at Morgan Stanley

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $300.00 to $255.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the home improvement retailer's stock. Morgan Stanley's target price would indicate a potential upside of 12.51% from the stock's previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. KeyCorp upgraded Lowe's Companies from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $266.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price 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. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $278.21.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW traded down $0.55 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $226.64. 215,306 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,477,829. The company has a market cap of $126.85 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.07. Lowe's Companies has a 12 month low of $206.39 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $227.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $248.63.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.10. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Lowe's Companies will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Capital Management Corp VA boosted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 21.1% during the 1st quarter. Capital Management Corp VA now owns 33,831 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $7,890,000 after purchasing an additional 5,886 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in Lowe's Companies by 46.7% in the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 407,789 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $95,109,000 after purchasing an additional 129,780 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc. raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 1.0% in the first quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 708,230 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $165,180,000 after purchasing an additional 6,750 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. purchased a new position in Lowe's Companies during the first quarter valued at $4,122,000. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 22.2% during the 1st quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 13,063 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $3,047,000 after buying an additional 2,375 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, 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.

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