Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 8.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,261 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after buying an additional 3,080 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $9,390,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gen Wealth Partners Inc lifted its stake 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 worth $534,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,166 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $781,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,286 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $317,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 4,793 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,183,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cape Investment Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 428 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $106,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lowe's Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of Lowe's Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were 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 now owns 31,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,256,795. The trade was a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Lowe's Companies stock traded up $2.43 during trading on Friday, hitting $223.66. 3,227,400 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,531,291. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.92. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $223.08 and a 200-day simple moving average 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 announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.06 EPS. On average, equities 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders 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 an increase from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is presently 38.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on LOW shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Mizuho reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $280.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Friday, June 13th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $271.12.

About Lowe's Companies

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.