Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Westwood Holdings Group Inc.

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. decreased its position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 76,469 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 3,578 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $18,873,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,842,954,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its stake in Lowe's Companies by 350.2% during the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,373,460 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $585,770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,846,315 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $314,435,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 24,531.0% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,228,102 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $303,096,000 after acquiring an additional 1,223,116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 993,833 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on LOW. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $266.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $253.00 target price (down previously from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $276.17.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW stock opened at $234.44 on Tuesday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $224.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $245.52. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.39 and a twelve month high of $287.01. The company has a market capitalization of $131.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.55, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The company had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.29 billion. On average, analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.96%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.67%.

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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