New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 17,326 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

New York State Teachers Retirement System lessened its holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 3.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 493,167 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 17,326 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.09% of Lowe's Companies worth $115,021,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations bought a new position in Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the first quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Lowe's Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the topic of several research reports. 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Lowe's Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. DA Davidson reduced their price target on Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Lowe's Companies from $296.00 to $269.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $271.12.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW opened at $223.66 on Monday. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.39 and a 52-week high of $311.00. The business's 50 day moving average price is $223.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $235.85. The firm has a market cap of $125.35 billion, a PE ratio of 18.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.92.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.06 earnings per share. Lowe's Companies's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 2.15%. This is a positive change from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 38.11%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.