Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Mutual of America Capital Management LLC

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 3.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 65,707 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 2,290 shares during the quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $15,325,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the first quarter worth $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC increased its stake in Lowe's Companies by 60.0% during the first quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LOW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $270.68.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe's Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of Lowe's Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW traded up $2.81 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $241.37. The stock had a trading volume of 2,746,101 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,652,532. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $224.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $230.97. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.38 and a 12-month high of $287.01. The firm has a market cap of $135.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.89.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%. The firm's revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.06 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is 39.77%.

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.