Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Purchases 43,144 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 6.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 701,771 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 43,144 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned about 0.13% of Lowe's Companies worth $163,674,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Gen Wealth Partners Inc grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc now owns 2,163 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $534,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. FFT Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. FFT Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,377 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $340,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,166 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $781,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,286 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $317,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Second Line Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 4,793 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,183,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe's Companies Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE LOW traded up $2.43 on Friday, reaching $223.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,227,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,530,798. The firm has a market cap of $125.35 billion, a PE ratio of 18.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.92. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $223.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $236.58. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.39 and a 52 week high of $287.01.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.22% and a negative return on equity of 49.12%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.06 earnings per share. 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 company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. This is a boost 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 currently 38.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $253.00 target price (down previously from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $271.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lowe's Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,898 shares of the company's stock, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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.