Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Holdings Increased by Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 6.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 154,922 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 9,058 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $36,132,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. 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 recent analyst reports. Mizuho reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $280.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Friday, June 13th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $271.12.

Insider Activity

In related 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 value of $257,075.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW traded up $1.55 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $220.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,208,272 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,536,954. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.39 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $222.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $237.06. The firm has a market cap of $123.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.92.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.22% and a negative return on equity of 49.12%. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.06 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a $1.20 dividend. 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. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is 38.11%.

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.