Aurdan Capital Management LLC Has $9.14 Million Stock Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Aurdan Capital Management LLC cut its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 13.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,168 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 5,829 shares during the quarter. Lowe's Companies accounts for 3.4% of Aurdan Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Aurdan Capital Management LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $9,135,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Lowe's Companies by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,270,496 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $6,483,558,000 after buying an additional 259,766 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Lowe's Companies by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,979,337 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $2,952,341,000 after buying an additional 245,876 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $1,842,954,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Lowe's Companies by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,035,630 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,242,793,000 after buying an additional 323,371 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on LOW shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on 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 price objective on Lowe's Companies and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $271.12.

Lowe's Companies Stock Down 1.7%

NYSE LOW traded down $3.79 on Friday, reaching $224.12. The company had a trading volume of 1,840,145 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,496,417. The stock's 50 day moving average is $224.14 and its 200-day moving average is $234.24. The stock has a market cap of $125.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.57, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.90. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.39 and a 52 week 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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%. The firm's revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.06 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This is an increase from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.11%.

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.