Confluence Wealth Services Inc. Buys 3,202 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Confluence Wealth Services Inc. boosted its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 75.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,460 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 3,202 shares during the period. Confluence Wealth Services Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $1,624,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC increased its position in Lowe's Companies by 60.0% in the 1st quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on LOW. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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. Mizuho reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $280.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. 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 stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $271.12.

Lowe's Companies Trading Up 1.1%

Lowe's Companies stock opened at $223.66 on Friday. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.39 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $125.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.92. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $223.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $236.26.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 last year, the firm earned $3.06 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The business 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 $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. This is a boost 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 payout ratio is presently 38.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe's Companies

In related 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 transaction of $257,075.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

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.

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