Aristotle Capital Management LLC Decreases Stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Aristotle Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,852,429 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 25,664 shares during the period. Lowe's Companies comprises about 1.8% of Aristotle Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Aristotle Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.68% of Lowe's Companies worth $950,779,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 4.0% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 649,601 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $175,944,000 after purchasing an additional 24,812 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 288.6% in the fourth quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 19,028 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $4,696,000 after buying an additional 14,132 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Lowe's Companies by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 362,209 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $98,104,000 after acquiring an additional 4,435 shares in the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 19,830 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $4,894,000 after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in Lowe's Companies by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 26,329 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $6,498,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $277.92.

Lowe's Companies Stock Down 1.0 %

Lowe's Companies stock traded down $2.21 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $222.98. 2,175,406 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,486,189. The company has a market cap of $124.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.60, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.39 and a 12-month high of $287.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $226.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $248.24.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.06%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.67%.

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.