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

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 12.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 95,466 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 10,316 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $22,266,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the first quarter valued at $32,000. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 12.5% in the first quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 22,469 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $5,240,000 after purchasing an additional 2,503 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 2.8% in the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 4,732 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,104,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 6.0% in the first quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 1,948 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $454,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 9.1% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,804 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $421,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

LOW traded down $0.59 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $223.08. 631,078 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,493,137. The stock has a market cap of $125.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.90. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.39 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $224.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $234.62.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.06 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This is an increase from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.11%.

Insider Transactions at Lowe's Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $7,256,795. This represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $271.12.

About Lowe's Companies

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.