Royal Bank Of Canada Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW) Stock Price

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada lowered Lowe’s price target from $232 to $231 while maintaining a “sector perform” rating, implying roughly 7.2% upside from the current price. Analysts overall remain moderately bullish, with a consensus target of $263.30.
• Lowe’s shares fell 2.6% to $215.50, near the stock’s 50-day moving average and well below its 52-week high of $293.06.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.03 in EPS and $23.08 billion in revenue, with revenue up 10.3% year over year. However, insiders sold nearly 26,000 shares worth about $5.8 million over the past 90 days.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by equities researchers at Royal Bank Of Canada from $232.00 to $231.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "sector perform" rating on the home improvement retailer's stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's price objective indicates a potential upside of 7.19% from the company's current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on LOW. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $276.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. UBS Group decreased their target price on Lowe's Companies from $315.00 to $285.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Craig Hallum raised Lowe's Companies to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $292.00 to $277.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $260.00 to $257.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $263.30.

Lowe's Companies Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of LOW stock traded down $5.75 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $215.50. The company had a trading volume of 195,968 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,864,263. Lowe's Companies has a 52 week low of $199.40 and a 52 week high of $293.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $120.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.86. The stock's 50-day moving average is $215.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $235.81.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $23.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.98 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 7.51% and a negative return on equity of 67.96%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.92 earnings per share. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Lowe's Companies will post 12.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe's Companies

In other Lowe's Companies news, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.90, for a total value of $3,139,885.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 39,785 shares in the company, valued at $8,828,291.50. This represents a 26.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of Lowe's Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.81, for a total transaction of $2,097,477.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 16,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,628,883.02. The trade was a 36.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 25,980 shares of company stock valued at $5,796,937 over the last 90 days. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lowe's Companies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $1,993,697,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Lowe's Companies by 45.2% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,555,565 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,580,941,000 after purchasing an additional 2,039,343 shares during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 7,814.9% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 1,490,369 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $359,417,000 after purchasing an additional 1,471,539 shares during the period. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $308,683,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 56,230,787 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $13,560,617,000 after buying an additional 924,625 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Lowe's Companies

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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