Private Advisor Group LLC Has $15.96 Million Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Private Advisor Group LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 5.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,438 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 4,141 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $15,962,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.2% in the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 125,299 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $29,223,000 after purchasing an additional 1,470 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Lowe's Companies by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 106,305 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $26,236,000 after acquiring an additional 13,092 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors grew its position in Lowe's Companies by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 26,329 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $6,498,000 after acquiring an additional 2,615 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 8.1% during the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 16,551 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $3,860,000 after buying an additional 1,242 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,745,960,000 after buying an additional 993,833 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $253.00 target price (down from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. One 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $271.12.

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 shares were 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lowe's Companies Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE:LOW traded up $0.56 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $219.14. 2,399,060 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,495,500. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.39 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The company has a market capitalization of $122.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.90. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $223.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $233.12.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.06 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. This is a positive change from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.