Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lessened its holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 49.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,937 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 4,755 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $1,151,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Interchange Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Lowe's Companies by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 881 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 1st quarter worth $115,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its stake in Lowe's Companies by 12.1% in the 1st quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 95,466 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $22,266,000 after buying an additional 10,316 shares in the last quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 12.5% during the first quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 22,469 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $5,240,000 after purchasing an additional 2,503 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on LOW shares. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $296.00 to $269.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set a $253.00 price objective (down previously from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Mizuho restated an "outperform" rating and set a $280.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Friday, June 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $271.12.

Insider Transactions at Lowe's Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,898 shares in the company, valued at $7,256,795. The trade was a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe's Companies Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of LOW traded down $1.51 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $223.48. 2,671,498 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,502,154. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.52, a P/E/G 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. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $224.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $234.70.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $20.93 billion during 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 firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.06 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This is an increase from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is currently 39.77%.

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.