BNP Paribas Upgrades Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) to Strong Sell

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) was upgraded by stock analysts at BNP Paribas to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on LOW. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $307.00 to $296.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.83.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE LOW opened at $248.71 on Thursday. Lowe’s Companies has a 12 month low of $211.80 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The company has a 50-day moving average of $252.52 and a 200-day moving average of $258.89. The company has a market cap of $140.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.11.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $18.29 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. IFS Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. JNBA Financial Advisors increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 555.6% in the third quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 118 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

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.