Aurora Private Wealth Inc. Acquires Shares of 20,357 Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Aurora Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 20,357 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock, valued at approximately $4,748,000. Lowe's Companies makes up about 1.2% of Aurora Private Wealth Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 119.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 31,965 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $7,889,000 after buying an additional 17,413 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 31.6% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 539,424 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $133,130,000 after buying an additional 2,891 shares during the last quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 4,480 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,106,000 after buying an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp increased its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 68.9% during the fourth quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 787 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $194,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LOW. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $253.00 price target (down from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $271.12.

Insider Transactions at Lowe's Companies

In other Lowe's Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lowe's Companies Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:LOW traded down $3.35 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $224.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,740,416 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,501,473. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $223.98 and a 200-day moving average of $234.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $126.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.64, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.90. 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 earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.22% and a negative return on equity of 49.12%. The company's revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.06 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is presently 38.11%.

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.