Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Stake Boosted by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 122,809 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,280 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $27,331,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $1,461,267,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 107,710.7% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,080,039 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,012,147,000 after purchasing an additional 5,075,327 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 187,225.6% in the third quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,111,159 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $438,783,000 after purchasing an additional 2,110,032 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 21.3% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,690,606 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,329,237,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $430,090,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LOW shares. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $199.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Wedbush upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Zelman & Associates restated a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $252.52.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Lowe’s Companies stock traded down $0.07 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $228.79. 1,989,521 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,543,904. The stock has a market capitalization of $130.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.13. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $181.85 and a 12 month high of $262.49. The business’s 50-day moving average is $239.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $218.38.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.94% and a negative return on equity of 51.42%. The business had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.28 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue was down 17.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.43%.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.