Whelan Financial Boosts Stock Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Whelan Financial lifted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 17.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,672 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 1,117 shares during the period. Lowe's Companies makes up approximately 0.7% of Whelan Financial's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Whelan Financial's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $1,789,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. 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 valued at $534,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,286 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $317,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Second Line Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 4,793 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,183,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Dumont & Blake Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Dumont & Blake Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,570 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,066,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Sollinda Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Sollinda Capital Management LLC now owns 6,703 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,654,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Mizuho restated an "outperform" rating and set a $280.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Friday, June 13th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $264.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $271.12.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

Shares of Lowe's Companies stock traded down $3.35 during trading on Monday, hitting $224.96. 2,740,416 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,501,473. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.39 and a 1 year high of $287.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $126.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.64, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.90. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $223.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $234.86.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%. The company had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.09 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.06 earnings per share. Lowe's Companies's revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. This is an increase from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.11%.

Insider Activity at Lowe's Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of Lowe's Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.