American Alpha Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Key Points

• American Alpha Advisors LLC acquired 1,751 shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc., valued at approximately $408,000, highlighting institutional interest in the home improvement retailer.
• Lowe's reported quarterly earnings of $2.92 EPS, surpassing analyst expectations, although revenue showed a slight year-over-year decline of 2.0%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend increase from $1.15 to $1.20 per share, reflecting a 2.0% yield and enhancing return for investors.

American Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,751 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock, valued at approximately $408,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the first quarter worth $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 60.0% in the first quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on LOW shares. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report 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 for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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 report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 target price 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 issued a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $270.68.

Insider Activity at Lowe's Companies

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Stock Up 2.2%

NYSE:LOW traded up $5.25 on Tuesday, hitting $245.10. The stock had a trading volume of 2,959,737 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,693,953. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $225.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $230.51. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.38 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The stock has a market cap of $137.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.31, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.89.

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

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd were issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.77%.

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.