Unison Asset Management LLC Purchases 1,729 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Unison Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 4.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 38,881 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 1,729 shares during the quarter. Lowe's Companies accounts for about 4.9% of Unison Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position. Unison Asset Management LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $8,469,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 29,361 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $6,848,000 after acquiring an additional 3,295 shares during the period. Invesco LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 108.1% in the first quarter. Invesco LLC now owns 2,991 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $698,000 after purchasing an additional 1,554 shares in the last quarter. Helen Stephens Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 4.7% during the first quarter. Helen Stephens Group LLC now owns 1,394 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Family Legacy Inc. grew its position in Lowe's Companies by 0.4% during the first quarter. Family Legacy Inc. now owns 23,209 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $5,413,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Community Financial Services Group LLC grew its position in Lowe's Companies by 3.5% during the first quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 19,695 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $4,593,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. BNP Paribas upgraded Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Wall Street Zen raised Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $253.00 target price (down previously from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Mizuho reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $280.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Friday, June 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company's 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 Performance

Shares of Lowe's Companies stock traded up $1.55 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $220.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,208,272 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,663,455. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $206.38 and a one year high of $287.01. The firm has a market cap of $123.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.92. The business's fifty day moving average price is $222.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $237.17.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%. The company had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.06 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is 38.11%.

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.