Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Sells 3,994 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC cut its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 1.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 206,093 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 3,994 shares during the quarter. Lowe's Companies accounts for 1.8% of Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $48,067,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter worth $1,842,954,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 350.2% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,373,460 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $585,770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,846,315 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 26,796.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,657,332 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $386,540,000 after acquiring an additional 1,651,170 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Lowe's Companies by 16.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,745,960,000 after purchasing an additional 993,833 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Lowe's Companies by 1,048.5% in the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 739,727 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $172,527,000 after purchasing an additional 675,318 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Lowe's Companies

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

Lowe's Companies Trading Up 0.8%

Lowe's Companies stock traded up $1.82 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $220.98. 82,036 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,486,162. The firm has a market cap of $123.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.29, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $223.61 and a 200 day moving average of $233.02. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.39 and a 12 month high of $287.01.

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

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. This is an increase from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Mizuho reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $280.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Friday, June 13th. One 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LOW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.