Legacy Private Trust Co. Cuts Stock Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Legacy Private Trust Co. lowered its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 4.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 29,719 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 1,458 shares during the quarter. Legacy Private Trust Co.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $6,931,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV raised its position in Lowe's Companies by 2.6% in the 4th 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 raised its position in Lowe's Companies by 14.0% in the 4th 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 raised its position in Lowe's Companies by 11.0% in the 4th 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 raised its position in Lowe's Companies by 1.5% in the 4th 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 raised its position in Lowe's Companies by 16.3% in the 4th 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE LOW traded up $2.10 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $227.62. The company had a trading volume of 602,656 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,511,226. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.39 and a twelve month high of $287.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $224.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $242.45. The company has a market capitalization of $127.40 billion, a PE ratio of 18.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. The firm 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 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.06 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. 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 2.11%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is 39.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on LOW. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $253.00 price target (down from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen raised Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $271.12.

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.