Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Stake Cut by Secured Retirement Advisors LLC

Secured Retirement Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 62.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,011 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 5,109 shares during the period. Secured Retirement Advisors LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $702,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Berkeley Inc grew its position in Lowe's Companies by 8.9% during the first quarter. Berkeley Inc now owns 56,948 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $13,282,000 after acquiring an additional 4,645 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 13.5% in the 1st quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 8,493 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,981,000 after purchasing an additional 1,012 shares during the period. Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,296 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $302,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 84,991 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $19,822,000 after purchasing an additional 3,154 shares during the period. Finally, TFR Capital LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $307,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Lowe's Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of Lowe's Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LOW has been the topic of several research reports. DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, May 22nd. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $271.12.

Lowe's Companies Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of LOW traded down $3.79 during trading on Friday, reaching $224.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,840,145 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,493,668. The company has a market cap of $125.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a fifty day moving average of $224.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $234.13. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.39 and a twelve month high of $287.01.

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 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.06 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This is a positive change from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is 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.