Value Partners Investments Inc. Sells 7,543 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Value Partners Investments Inc. cut its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 63.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,373 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 7,543 shares during the quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $1,021,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Pure Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 33.0% in the 1st quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,642 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $616,000 after buying an additional 655 shares during the period. Security National Bank lifted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Security National Bank now owns 45,134 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $10,527,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the period. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,984,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 140.5% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,531 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,291,000 after buying an additional 3,231 shares during the period. Finally, Aurora Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,748,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of Lowe's Companies stock traded up $2.43 on Friday, reaching $223.66. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,227,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,530,798. The company has a market capitalization of $125.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.92. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $223.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $236.58. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.39 and a 52 week 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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.06 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lowe's Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of Lowe's Companies stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LOW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Mizuho restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $280.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $253.00 target price (down previously from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 target price on Lowe's Companies and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price 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. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $271.12.

About Lowe's Companies

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.