New York, January 9, 2026, 21:20 EST — Market closed
Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (LOW) climbed 4.29% on Friday to close at $267.21, their fourth straight gain, as home-improvement names moved with a strong broader tape. The stock ended about 3% below its 52-week high, with volume above its 50-day average, while bigger rival Home Depot rose 4.19%.
Barclays analyst Seth Sigman upgraded Lowe’s to Overweight from Equal Weight and lifted his price target to $285 from $259. “Overweight” is Wall Street shorthand for an expectation the stock will outperform others in the analyst’s coverage universe; Sigman cited a “relatively attractive valuation” and pointed to potential upside tied to housing and “pent-up demand,” alongside improving do-it-yourself and professional customer trends. TipRanks
The upgrade landed into a market still trying to read the consumer, and the interest-rate backdrop that feeds into housing turnover and renovation spending. U.S. payroll gains slowed to 50,000 in December and the unemployment rate dipped to 4.4%, with Fitch Ratings’ Olu Sonola saying “hiring is still stuck in stall speed,” even as the data pushed expectations toward the Fed holding rates at its January 27-28 meeting. Reuters
Next week brings another test for rate expectations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to release December CPI data on Tuesday, January 13, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time.
For Lowe’s, the next company catalyst is its fourth-quarter earnings conference call on Feb. 25, listed on its investor events calendar. Investors will be listening for updated guidance on comparable sales and what management says about demand from contractors versus do-it-yourself shoppers.
But there is still a downside case, especially if inflation and “big-ticket” caution linger. U.S. consumer sentiment improved in early January, yet households remain uneasy about inflation and the labor market; survey director Joanne Hsu said consumers are still focused on “kitchen table issues,” including high prices. Reuters
When markets reopen on Monday, the immediate question is whether Lowe’s can hold Friday’s jump and keep pressure on its recent highs. The next hard date on the calendar is Feb. 25, when Nasdaq’s earnings page lists Lowe’s results as due before the opening bell.
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