5,650 Shares in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Purchased by St. Clair Advisors LLC

St. Clair Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,650 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,394,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,842,954,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 350.2% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,373,460 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $585,770,000 after acquiring an additional 1,846,315 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter worth $314,435,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 24,531.0% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,228,102 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $303,096,000 after purchasing an additional 1,223,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,745,960,000 after purchasing an additional 993,833 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Trading Down 1.6%

Lowe's Companies stock traded down $3.63 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $223.74. The stock had a trading volume of 3,116,717 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,513,541. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $224.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $245.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.23 billion, a PE ratio of 18.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.39 and a 12 month high of $287.01.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.06 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.06%. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is 37.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $273.04.

Lowe's Companies 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.