Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Stake Trimmed by Berkeley Inc

Berkeley Inc lowered its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 40.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 52,303 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 35,617 shares during the period. Lowe's Companies comprises 6.7% of Berkeley Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Berkeley Inc's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $12,908,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new position in Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LOW. Wall Street Zen raised Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. BNP Paribas raised Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Mizuho set a $280.00 price target on Lowe's Companies and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Lowe's Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $271.12.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

NYSE LOW traded up $0.64 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $225.57. 4,127,230 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,521,457. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $206.39 and a one year high of $287.01. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $224.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $243.15. The stock has a market cap of $126.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.06 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is 38.11%.

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.