Vise Technologies Inc. Has $3.65 Million Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Vise Technologies Inc. increased its stake 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 & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,806 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 4,176 shares during the quarter. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $3,654,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $1,842,954,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 350.2% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,373,460 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $585,770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,846,315 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $314,435,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 24,531.0% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,228,102 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $303,096,000 after buying an additional 1,223,116 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Lowe's Companies by 16.3% during the fourth 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

Shares of Lowe's Companies stock traded up $4.53 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $225.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,411,756 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,517,962. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.39 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The company has a market capitalization of $126.27 billion, a PE ratio of 18.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $224.52 and a 200 day moving average of $244.06.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.06 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is 38.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $266.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Mizuho set a $280.00 target price on Lowe's Companies and gave the stock an "outperform" rating 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.