Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Aviance Capital Partners LLC

Aviance Capital Partners LLC trimmed its position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 25.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,930 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 10,240 shares during the quarter. Lowe's Companies accounts for 1.0% of Aviance Capital Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Aviance Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $6,981,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LOW. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,270,496 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $6,483,558,000 after purchasing an additional 259,766 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,979,337 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $2,952,341,000 after purchasing an additional 245,876 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter worth $1,842,954,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 993,833 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Lowe's Companies by 6.9% in the fourth 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 buying an additional 323,371 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Lowe's Companies stock traded up $1.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $228.00. 1,777,904 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,498,145. The firm has a market capitalization of $127.78 billion, a PE ratio of 18.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.90. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.39 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $223.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $235.23.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%. Lowe's Companies's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.06 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.11%. This is a positive change from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on 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 decreased their price target on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, KeyCorp upgraded Lowe's Companies from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $266.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $271.12.

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.