Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Acquired by Van Strum & Towne Inc.

Van Strum & Towne Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 78.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,540 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $1,059,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LOW. FMR LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $6,483,558,000 after buying an additional 259,766 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,979,337 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $2,952,341,000 after buying an additional 245,876 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,842,954,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Lowe's Companies by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $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 holdings 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 purchasing an additional 323,371 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lowe's Companies Trading Up 0.9%

Lowe's Companies stock traded up $1.94 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $221.10. The stock had a trading volume of 2,862,455 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,497,136. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.39 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $223.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $233.02. The company has a market capitalization of $123.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.51, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.90.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.22% and a negative return on equity of 49.12%. The company had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.06 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LOW. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on 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. KeyCorp upgraded Lowe's Companies from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $266.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on 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. Finally, DA Davidson cut their price target on Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $271.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lowe's Companies 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 value of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,898 shares in the company, valued at $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lowe's Companies Company 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.