Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Bought by Wealthspire Advisors LLC

Wealthspire Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,392 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 366 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,645,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR now owns 31,358 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $6,979,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115 shares during the period. Townsend & Associates Inc acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $216,000. National Pension Service increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 985,410 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $219,303,000 after buying an additional 19,817 shares in the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,676 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,476 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,441,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 1.8 %

LOW stock traded up $4.13 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $236.20. 1,651,555 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,436,139. 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 capitalization of $135.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.94, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.15. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $239.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $221.76.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $18.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.28 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th were issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on LOW shares. Gordon Haskett reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from an “average” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $252.67.

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.