Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by First City Capital Management Inc.

First City Capital Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 40.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,782 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 3,235 shares during the quarter. First City Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $1,115,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 19,830 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $4,894,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 106,305 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $26,236,000 after purchasing an additional 13,092 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors boosted its position 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 valued at $6,498,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 1.5% during 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 period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in 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 valued at $1,745,960,000 after purchasing an additional 993,833 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of Lowe's Companies stock opened at $225.35 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $126.29 billion, a PE ratio of 18.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.39 and a 12-month high of $287.01. The stock's fifty day moving average is $223.72 and its 200-day moving average is $241.72.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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. 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 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. Lowe's Companies's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.06 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. This is a positive change from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is presently 39.77%.

Insider Activity at Lowe's Companies

In other Lowe's Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,256,795. This represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. DA Davidson reduced their price target on Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. BNP Paribas upgraded Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Mizuho set a $280.00 price target on Lowe's Companies and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $271.12.

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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