Chapman Financial Group LLC Acquires Shares of 1,215 Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Chapman Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,215 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock, valued at approximately $300,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Lowe's Companies by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,270,496 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $6,483,558,000 after acquiring an additional 259,766 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,979,337 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $2,952,341,000 after purchasing an additional 245,876 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter worth $1,842,954,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Lowe's Companies by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,745,960,000 after buying an additional 993,833 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Lowe's Companies by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,186,720 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,033,283,000 after buying an additional 385,994 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on LOW shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $278.04.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW traded down $2.31 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $222.17. The company had a trading volume of 2,053,748 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,499,358. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $225.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $247.03. The firm has a market cap of $124.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.39 and a 1-year high of $287.01.

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

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were given a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.67%.

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.