Advisory Alpha LLC Decreases Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Advisory Alpha LLC reduced its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 66.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,244 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 2,496 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $290,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP now owns 4,101 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc now owns 2,163 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $534,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,012 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $3,705,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 2,896 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $715,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FFT Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Lowe's Companies by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. FFT Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,377 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $340,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW traded up $3.29 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $228.81. 2,455,662 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,518,375. The firm has a market capitalization of $128.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. The business's fifty day moving average is $224.07 and its 200 day moving average is $242.45. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.39 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.06 EPS. Lowe's Companies's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This is an increase from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Bank of America dropped their target price on Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Mizuho set a $280.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies has a consensus 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.