Natixis Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Lowe's Companies by 5.0% during the first quarter, owning approximately 0.10% of the company valued at $128.5 million.
• Lowe's recently reported Q1 earnings of $2.92 per share, exceeding estimates, though it saw a 2.0% decrease in revenue year-over-year.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.20, representing a yield of 2.09% with a payout ratio of 39.77%.

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 5.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 551,112 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after buying an additional 26,080 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.10% of Lowe's Companies worth $128,536,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Lowe's Companies by 2,984.6% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,038,069 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $475,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,971,996 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its stake in Lowe's Companies by 350.2% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,373,460 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $585,770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,846,315 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Lowe's Companies by 26,796.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,657,332 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $386,540,000 after purchasing an additional 1,651,170 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Lowe's Companies by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,745,960,000 after purchasing an additional 993,833 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Lowe's Companies by 1,048.5% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 739,727 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $172,527,000 after purchasing an additional 675,318 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on LOW shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. KeyCorp upgraded Lowe's Companies from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $266.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $270.68.

Lowe's Companies Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of LOW stock traded down $3.89 on Thursday, reaching $223.55. 2,778,368 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,372,117. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.38 and a 52 week high of $287.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.28 billion, a PE ratio of 18.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.90. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $222.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.92.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%. The firm had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.06 EPS. Lowe's Companies's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 company 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 represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. This is a positive change from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.77%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

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.