Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Purchased by Cullinan Associates Inc.

Cullinan Associates Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 1.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 86,572 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 1,606 shares during the quarter. Lowe's Companies comprises about 1.4% of Cullinan Associates Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Cullinan Associates Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $20,191,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 1.2% during the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 125,299 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $29,223,000 after acquiring an additional 1,470 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Lowe's Companies by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 106,305 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $26,236,000 after buying an additional 13,092 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors grew its position in Lowe's Companies by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 26,329 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $6,498,000 after buying an additional 2,615 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its position in Lowe's Companies by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 472,838 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $116,696,000 after buying an additional 7,187 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 16.3% in 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 acquiring an additional 993,833 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe's Companies Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $212.40 on Friday. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.39 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $223.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $237.78. The firm has a market cap of $119.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.60, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.92.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.06 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. This is a positive change from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LOW. Mizuho restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $280.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Friday, June 13th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price target on Lowe's Companies and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $271.12.

Insider Activity at Lowe's Companies

In other Lowe's Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of Lowe's Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. The trade was a 3.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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