Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Purchased by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Lowe's Companies by 1.2%, owning approximately 3.5 million shares valued at over $816 million as of the first quarter.
• Lowe's reported earnings of $2.92 per share for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, although revenue dipped 2.0% year-over-year to $20.93 billion.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend from $1.15 to $1.20, representing an annualized yield of 2.0% and a payout ratio of 39.77%.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 1.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,501,740 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 42,676 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.63% of Lowe's Companies worth $816,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Gen Wealth Partners Inc boosted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc now owns 2,163 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $534,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 4,793 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,183,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 5,817 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,357,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC now owns 865 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $202,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Dumont & Blake Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Dumont & Blake Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,570 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,066,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Lowe's Companies

In other Lowe's Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,898 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Mizuho reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $280.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Friday, June 13th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. 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.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $270.68.

Lowe's Companies Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE LOW opened at $238.47 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $224.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $231.12. The stock has a market cap of $133.65 billion, a PE ratio of 19.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.89. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.38 and a twelve month high of $287.01.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.06 earnings per share. Lowe's Companies's revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd were given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 23rd. This is a positive change 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 2.0%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.77%.

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.

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