North Star Asset Management Inc. Cuts Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

North Star Asset Management Inc. trimmed its position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 93,902 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 1,257 shares during the quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $23,175,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Lowe's Companies stock traded down $1.87 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $222.65. The stock had a trading volume of 707,580 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,507,778. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.39 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $224.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $243.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $124.62 billion, a PE ratio of 18.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Lowe's Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is 38.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. DA Davidson cut their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Bank of America cut their price target 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. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 target price on Lowe's Companies and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $271.12.

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.