Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Position Decreased by DAVENPORT & Co LLC

DAVENPORT & Co LLC lowered its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 0.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 456,993 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 3,450 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC owned 0.08% of Lowe's Companies worth $106,153,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LOW. Gen Wealth Partners Inc increased its stake in 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 valued at $534,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,286 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $317,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 4,793 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,183,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 7,509 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,853,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dumont & Blake Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW stock traded up $0.22 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $227.16. 758,736 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,490,051. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $223.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $235.45. The company has a market capitalization of $127.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.81, a P/E/G 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.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.06 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This is an increase 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 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is presently 38.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Mizuho reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $280.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Friday, June 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. KeyCorp raised shares of Lowe's Companies from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $266.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $253.00 price target (down previously from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $271.12.

Insider Activity at Lowe's Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

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.