Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Position Increased by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 0.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,299,397 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after buying an additional 7,560 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of Lowe's Companies worth $303,058,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LOW. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,842,954,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 350.2% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,373,460 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $585,770,000 after buying an additional 1,846,315 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 26,796.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,657,332 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $386,540,000 after buying an additional 1,651,170 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $314,435,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 16.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,745,960,000 after buying an additional 993,833 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LOW has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. One equities research 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 data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $271.12.

Insider Activity at Lowe's Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,898 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW traded up $2.43 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $223.66. 3,227,400 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,490,121. The business's 50-day moving average price is $223.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $236.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.92. 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 posted 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. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.22% and a negative return on equity of 49.12%. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.06 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. 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. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.11%.

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.