Better Money Decisions LLC Takes Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Better Money Decisions LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,455 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock, valued at approximately $339,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 60.0% during the 1st 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 period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

Shares of LOW traded down $2.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $225.35. The stock had a trading volume of 2,216,796 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,518,392. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.39 and a 52-week high of $287.01. The firm has a market cap of $126.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92. The business's fifty day moving average is $223.89 and its 200 day moving average is $241.95.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.06 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock 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 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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 research note on Thursday, May 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Mizuho set a $280.00 price objective on Lowe's Companies and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $271.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lowe's Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of Lowe's Companies 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,898 shares in the company, valued at $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.