Teacher Retirement System of Texas Increases Stock Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 34.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 238,275 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 61,122 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $55,573,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations bought a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 60.0% during the 1st quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective 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. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price target on Lowe's Companies and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $271.12.

Lowe's Companies Trading Up 0.5%

LOW traded up $1.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $228.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,777,904 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,498,145. The firm has a market capitalization of $127.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.89, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.90. The stock's 50-day moving average is $223.84 and its 200-day moving average is $235.23. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.39 and a 1 year high of $287.01.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $21.09 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.06 earnings per share. Lowe's Companies's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.11%.

Insider Activity

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 value of $257,075.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president 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 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.

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.