Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Acquires 10,316 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 12.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 95,466 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 10,316 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $22,266,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 125,299 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $29,223,000 after buying an additional 1,470 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 106,305 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $26,236,000 after acquiring an additional 13,092 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 26,329 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $6,498,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its stake in Lowe's Companies by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 472,838 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $116,696,000 after purchasing an additional 7,187 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 16.3% during 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. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of Lowe's Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the sale, 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 through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on LOW shares. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $266.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $271.12.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

LOW traded up $2.39 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $227.96. 2,417,039 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,499,117. The stock has a market capitalization of $127.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.90. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.39 and a 52 week high of $287.01. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $224.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $234.56.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%. The firm's revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.06 earnings per share. Sell-side 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be paid a $1.20 dividend. 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 2.11%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 38.11%.

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.