Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Holdings Decreased by Sigma Investment Counselors Inc.

Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. cut its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 8.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,185 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 2,715 shares during the period. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $7,273,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Lowe's Companies

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of Lowe's Companies stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lowe's Companies Trading Down 1.7%

LOW stock traded down $3.79 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $224.12. 1,840,145 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,496,417. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $224.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $234.24. The company has a market cap of $125.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.90. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $206.39 and a one year high of $287.01.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.22% and a negative return on equity of 49.12%. The company 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 earned $3.06 EPS. Lowe's Companies's revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. This is a positive change 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 2.14%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on LOW. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on 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. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered 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. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $253.00 price objective (down previously from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. One equities research 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.