JGP Wealth Management LLC Decreases Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

JGP Wealth Management LLC trimmed its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 6.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,212 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 3,563 shares during the period. Lowe's Companies comprises approximately 1.5% of JGP Wealth Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. JGP Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $11,711,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LOW. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 17,413 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 31.6% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC now owns 2,118 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $523,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 16.6% during the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 17,987 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $4,439,000 after acquiring an additional 2,560 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Austin Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Austin Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,053 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:LOW traded up $1.29 on Thursday, hitting $229.68. The stock had a trading volume of 602,483 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,511,047. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $224.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $242.26. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.39 and a 1 year high of $287.01. The stock has a market cap of $128.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The company had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.06 EPS. Lowe's Companies's quarterly 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 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. This is a positive change from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho set a $280.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target 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. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. 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 report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, 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 research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies presently has a consensus 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.