Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC

Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC decreased its holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 17.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,086 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 5,678 shares during the period. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $6,084,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gen Wealth Partners Inc grew its stake 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 valued at $534,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,286 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 4,793 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 5,817 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,357,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dumont & Blake Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe's Companies Trading Up 1.0%

LOW opened at $218.68 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average is $223.67 and its 200-day moving average is $233.40. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.39 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The company has a market cap of $122.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.12, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.90.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 business 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 business posted $3.06 EPS. Lowe's Companies's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. This is an increase 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 is presently 38.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $280.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of 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. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $271.12.

Lowe's Companies Company 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.

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