Oppenheimer analyst Brian Nagel raised his price target for Lowe's (LOW) to $145 from $135 and reiterated an Outperform rating, saying he has maintained a positive stance toward Home Improvement Retail due to a number of factors, including still solid underlying demand dynamics, significant protections from the threat of online disintermediation, and accommodative share valuations. The analyst says shares of Lowe's have performed well so far in 2019, and is increasingly optimistic that a recent, meaningful moderation in mortgage rates should prove an incremental sales tailwind within the space and help support further the multiples at which the stock trades. Nagel also raised his price target for peer Home Depot (HD) to $255.