Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Deutsche Bank AG

Key Points

• Deutsche Bank AG has reduced its stake in Lowe's Companies by 23.4%, owning 1,391,187 shares after selling 424,114 shares in the first quarter.
• Lowe's Companies recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.20 per share, up from $1.15, representing a 2.0% yield with a payout ratio of 39.77%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Lowe's Companies, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $270.68.

Deutsche Bank AG decreased its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 23.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,391,187 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 424,114 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG owned approximately 0.25% of Lowe's Companies worth $324,467,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Lowe's Companies by 119.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 31,965 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $7,889,000 after buying an additional 17,413 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Lowe's Companies by 31.6% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in Lowe's Companies by 2,962.5% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 98,000 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $24,186,000 after buying an additional 94,800 shares during the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P lifted its position in Lowe's Companies by 32.7% in the fourth quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 17,386 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $4,291,000 after buying an additional 4,280 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Texas Yale Capital Corp. lifted its position in Lowe's Companies by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. now owns 4,895 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,208,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

Shares of LOW traded up $2.81 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $241.37. 2,746,101 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,652,532. The stock has a market capitalization of $135.27 billion, a PE ratio of 20.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.89. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $224.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $230.78. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.38 and a 52-week high of $287.01.

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

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is 39.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe's Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on LOW. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $270.68.

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.