Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Cuts Stock Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. decreased its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 7.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 210,645 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 16,500 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $49,129,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in LOW. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,270,496 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $6,483,558,000 after purchasing an additional 259,766 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,979,337 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $2,952,341,000 after buying an additional 245,876 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,842,954,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake 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 valued at $1,745,960,000 after buying an additional 993,833 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. DA Davidson dropped their price target on Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $271.12.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

NYSE LOW traded down $1.20 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $210.72. 2,524,295 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,528,984. The stock has a market cap of $118.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.92. 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 $223.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $239.07.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.22% and a negative return on equity of 49.12%. The business's revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.06 earnings per share. 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe's Companies

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of Lowe's Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,898 shares in the company, valued at $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

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.