Vest Financial LLC Has $49.77 Million Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Vest Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 0.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 213,399 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after buying an additional 1,743 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $49,771,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP raised its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP now owns 4,101 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,012,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc raised its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc now owns 2,163 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $534,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,012 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $3,705,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc raised its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 2,896 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $715,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FFT Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. FFT Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,377 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $340,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Lowe's Companies

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,898 shares in the company, valued at $7,256,795. The trade was a 3.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $253.00 price objective (down from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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. Mizuho set a $280.00 target price on Lowe's Companies and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp raised Lowe's Companies from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $266.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $271.12.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW opened at $227.48 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $223.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $241.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $127.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm 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 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.06 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. This is an increase from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is presently 39.77%.

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.

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