Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Confluence Investment Management LLC

Confluence Investment Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 1.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 228,447 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 4,101 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $53,281,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP now owns 4,101 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Saxony Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Saxony Capital Management LLC now owns 994 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Powers Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,541 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $380,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Gen Wealth Partners Inc grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc now owns 2,163 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $534,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Cordatus Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,012 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $3,705,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW traded down $2.42 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $223.32. The stock had a trading volume of 1,439,406 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,509,022. The firm has a market cap of $124.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $224.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $242.76. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.39 and a 12-month high of $287.01.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. Lowe's Companies's revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.06 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side 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 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 is an increase from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp upgraded Lowe's Companies from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $266.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price target on Lowe's Companies and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Lowe's Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.