GTS Securities LLC Decreases Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

GTS Securities LLC cut its position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 48.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,133 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 5,766 shares during the quarter. GTS Securities LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $1,514,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mutual Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 11,531 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $2,984,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC now owns 828 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Red Door Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Red Door Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,799 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,184,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Secure Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 79.1% during the 4th quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 1,599 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Veracity Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Veracity Capital LLC now owns 2,504 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $618,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe's Companies Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of LOW traded down $1.76 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $222.76. 581,614 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,507,063. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.39 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The stock has a market cap of $124.68 billion, a PE ratio of 18.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $224.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $243.80.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. Lowe's Companies's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.06 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.06%. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is 38.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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 research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $271.12.

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.