Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Stock Position Decreased by Catalina Capital Group LLC

Catalina Capital Group LLC trimmed its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 65.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 997 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 1,886 shares during the quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC increased its position in Lowe's Companies by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,270,496 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $6,483,558,000 after purchasing an additional 259,766 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,979,337 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $2,952,341,000 after acquiring an additional 245,876 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth $1,842,954,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Lowe's Companies by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,745,960,000 after acquiring an additional 993,833 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,035,630 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,242,793,000 after acquiring an additional 323,371 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe's Companies Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE LOW traded up $1.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $212.40. 6,131,982 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,541,575. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.39 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $223.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $237.78. The company has a market cap of $119.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.92.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%. The business's revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.06 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Bank of America cut their price objective 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. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $264.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given 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 an average price target 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.