Vanguard Group Inc. Has $12.74 Billion Stock Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its ownership in Lowe's Companies, acquiring 230,359 shares, bringing their total stake to approximately 54.6 million shares valued at $12.74 billion.
• Several institutional investors, including Aptus Capital Advisors LLC and Northern Trust Corp, also raised their stakes in Lowe's, contributing to a total institutional ownership of 74.06%.
• Lowe's recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, an increase from the previous $1.15, reflecting an annualized yield of 2.0%.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 0.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,609,378 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after buying an additional 230,359 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.76% of Lowe's Companies worth $12,736,545,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 125,299 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $29,223,000 after purchasing an additional 1,470 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 106,305 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $26,236,000 after purchasing an additional 13,092 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 16,551 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $3,860,000 after purchasing an additional 1,242 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,745,960,000 after purchasing an additional 993,833 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 29,361 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $6,848,000 after purchasing an additional 3,295 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW traded up $2.81 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $241.37. The stock had a trading volume of 2,746,101 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,652,532. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.38 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $135.27 billion, a PE ratio of 20.00, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.89. The company's 50-day moving average is $224.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $230.97.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%. Lowe's Companies's revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.06 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd were given a $1.20 dividend. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is 39.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, KeyCorp upgraded Lowe's Companies from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $266.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $270.68.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe's Companies

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of Lowe's Companies stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company 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.