First Financial Bank Trust Division Has $8.39 Million Stock Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

First Financial Bank Trust Division lowered its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 9.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 35,972 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 3,696 shares during the quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $8,390,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations bought a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new position in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the subject of several research reports. BNP Paribas raised Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 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 report on Monday, May 5th. 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 research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $264.00 price target on Lowe's Companies and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One equities research 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $271.12.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW traded up $0.64 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $225.57. 4,127,230 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,513,115. The firm has a market capitalization of $126.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.39 and a 52 week high of $287.01. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $224.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $242.95.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. The company 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.06 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. This is an increase from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.77%.

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.