20,357 Shares in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Acquired by Aurora Private Wealth Inc.

Aurora Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 20,357 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock, valued at approximately $4,748,000. Lowe's Companies accounts for about 1.2% of Aurora Private Wealth Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth $1,842,954,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 350.2% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,373,460 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $585,770,000 after acquiring an additional 1,846,315 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 26,796.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,657,332 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $386,540,000 after acquiring an additional 1,651,170 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $314,435,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 16.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,745,960,000 after purchasing an additional 993,833 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

LOW opened at $228.00 on Friday. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.39 and a 1 year high of $287.01. The company has a market capitalization of $127.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.90. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $223.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $235.23.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.22% and a negative return on equity of 49.12%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.06 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This is a positive change from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 target price on Lowe's Companies and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. KeyCorp raised shares of Lowe's Companies from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $266.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $271.12.

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.

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