Home Depot and Lowe’s upgraded to buy at Loop Capital
- Loop Capital Markets on Wednesday upgraded home improvement retailers Home Depot (NYSE:HD) and Lowe’s (NYSE:LOW) to ‘buy’ from ‘hold’ following recent store checks and management conversations.
- LOOP’s price target on HD is raised from $360 to $460, and for Lowe’s from $250 to $300 as the Fed moves to lower interest rates.
- LOOP’s F2024 revenue estimate is unchanged, despite a likely lift from recent storm damage. The storms May well disrupt current quarter sales, but LOOP expects investors to look beyond this to a future demand lift.
- LOOP is pleased with the quick resolution to the port strike, as it saw a prolonged strike as a material risk, and raises F2025 estimates on the back of recent extreme weather and an easing rate cycle. LOOP’s F25 EPS estimate for HD is 44 cents ahead of consensus.
- For Lowe’s LOOP is six cents above consensus.
- The brokerage is more bullish on Home Depot (HD) given the incremental growth opportunity it sees following the SRS acquisition. LOOP expects HD’s long-term growth to accelerate into the high-single digits, compared to LOW (LOW) in the mid-single digits.
- On a YTD basis, Home Depot (HD) and Lowe’s (LOW) have advanced 19.5% and 22.8% respectively.
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Oppenheimer recently upgraded Lowe’s Companies (LOW) to an Outperform rating after having it set at Market Perform.