Toronto Dominion Bank Trims Stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Toronto Dominion Bank reduced its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 203,322 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 8,784 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $50,178,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP now owns 4,101 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Saxony Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Saxony Capital Management LLC now owns 994 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,541 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $380,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Gen Wealth Partners Inc lifted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc now owns 2,163 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $534,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Cordatus Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,012 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $3,705,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

NYSE LOW traded down $3.57 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $230.86. The stock had a trading volume of 3,456,128 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,515,576. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.39 and a 1 year high of $287.01. The stock has a market cap of $129.21 billion, a PE ratio of 19.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $224.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $245.42.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $18.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were given a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $253.00 price objective (down from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $276.17.

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.