Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Sells 13,052 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc decreased its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 502,211 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 13,052 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned 0.09% of Lowe's Companies worth $123,946,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 24,812 shares during the period. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 23.6% during the fourth quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 1,049 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 19.3% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,823 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $451,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $98,104,000 after acquiring an additional 4,435 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 5,958 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,470,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lowe's Companies Trading Up 0.5 %

LOW opened at $224.54 on Friday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $225.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $247.53. The company has a market capitalization of $125.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.73, 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.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.05%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on LOW. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com raised Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $278.04.

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.

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