Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Holdings Lifted by Welch & Forbes LLC

Welch & Forbes LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,514 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 112 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $3,898,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Management Group Inc. boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 1,205 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,590 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $576,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.1% in the third quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC now owns 2,439 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $507,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 6,671 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,485,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 9,013 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,006,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LOW. Citigroup lowered their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $243.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Monday, March 4th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Mizuho assumed coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Gordon Haskett restated a “hold” rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.67.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:LOW traded down $0.25 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $231.45. 1,912,237 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,453,542. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $181.85 and a 12 month high of $262.49. The firm has a market cap of $132.43 billion, a PE ratio of 17.59, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $240.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $221.68.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $18.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.28 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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 issued 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 1.90%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.43%.

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.