Simplicity Wealth LLC Has $2.45 Million Stock Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Simplicity Wealth LLC increased its position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 66.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,484 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 4,174 shares during the period. Simplicity Wealth LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $2,445,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 60.0% during the first quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,256,795. The trade was a 3.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Lowe's Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. 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. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. BNP Paribas raised Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $253.00 price objective (down previously from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $271.12.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW stock traded up $1.37 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $224.98. The company had a trading volume of 2,174,195 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,522,619. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.39 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The firm's fifty day moving average is $223.49 and its 200 day moving average is $241.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $126.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.76, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.06 EPS. Lowe's Companies's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This is a positive change from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.77%.

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.