Vise Technologies Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 39.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,806 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 4,176 shares during the quarter. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $3,654,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations bought a new position in Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new position in Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LOW. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $253.00 price objective (down previously from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company 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 given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $271.12.

Lowe's Companies Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of LOW traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $225.80. The company had a trading volume of 703,649 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,510,897. The stock has a market cap of $126.38 billion, a PE ratio of 18.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.39 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $224.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $243.93.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The company's revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.06 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.