Disciplined Investments LLC Invests $330,000 in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Disciplined Investments LLC bought a new position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,414 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock, valued at approximately $330,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 19,830 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $4,894,000 after buying an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 valued at $26,236,000 after buying an additional 13,092 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 26,329 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $6,498,000 after buying an additional 2,615 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 472,838 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $116,696,000 after buying an additional 7,187 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,745,960,000 after buying an additional 993,833 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price objective on Lowe's Companies and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. BNP Paribas raised Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Mizuho set a $280.00 price objective on Lowe's Companies and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $271.12.

Lowe's Companies Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of LOW opened at $225.35 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average is $223.72 and its 200 day moving average is $241.72. The company has a market capitalization of $126.29 billion, a PE ratio of 18.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92. 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 released its quarterly earnings data 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. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.06 EPS. The company's revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 company also recently disclosed 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 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is presently 39.77%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lowe's Companies 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 value of $257,075.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,256,795. The trade was a 3.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

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.

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