Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Purchased by Golden State Wealth Management LLC

Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 140.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,531 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 3,231 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $1,291,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,470 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 13,092 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 26,329 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $6,498,000 after acquiring an additional 2,615 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 472,838 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $116,696,000 after purchasing an additional 7,187 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position 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 valued at $1,745,960,000 after purchasing an additional 993,833 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on LOW shares. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $253.00 target price (down previously from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas upgraded Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Mizuho restated an "outperform" rating and set a $280.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $271.12.

Lowe's Companies Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $220.76 on Thursday. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.39 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $223.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $236.94. The company has a market cap of $123.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.29, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.92.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.06 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. 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. This is a positive change from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the business'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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,256,795. The trade was a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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