Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Bought by SFE Investment Counsel

SFE Investment Counsel grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 7.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 52,818 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after buying an additional 3,620 shares during the period. Lowe's Companies makes up 2.5% of SFE Investment Counsel's portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. SFE Investment Counsel's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $12,319,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe's Companies Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:LOW traded up $1.27 during trading on Friday, reaching $226.83. 2,053,515 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,516,350. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.38 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $223.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $232.46. The firm has a market cap of $127.12 billion, a PE ratio of 18.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.90.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.06 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current 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 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 2.12%. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is currently 39.77%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lowe's Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,256,795. This represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the topic of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. KeyCorp upgraded Lowe's Companies from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $266.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced 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 report on Thursday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $271.12.

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.