Captrust Financial Advisors Grows Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 564,640 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after buying an additional 3,749 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors owned about 0.10% of Lowe's Companies worth $139,353,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Lowe's Companies by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America decreased their target price on 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. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Lowe's Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $277.92.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

Shares of LOW traded up $0.66 on Wednesday, reaching $223.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,924,047 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,490,234. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.65, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $226.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $247.89. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.39 and a 12-month high of $287.01.

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

Lowe's Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is 37.67%.

Lowe's Companies 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.