Boston Common Asset Management LLC Has $4.34 Million Stock Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Boston Common Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 21.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,599 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 3,341 shares during the period. Boston Common Asset Management LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $4,338,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations bought a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW traded up $0.64 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $225.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,127,230 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,521,457. The stock has a market cap of $126.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $206.39 and a one year high of $287.01. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $224.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $243.15.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.06 EPS. On average, sell-side 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be paid 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on LOW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Truist Financial set a $264.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $271.12.

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.