Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Holdings Lifted by Whitener Capital Management Inc.

Whitener Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 15.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,701 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,055 shares during the quarter. Lowe's Companies comprises approximately 1.0% of Whitener Capital Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Whitener Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $3,662,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Berkeley Inc grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Berkeley Inc now owns 56,948 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $13,282,000 after purchasing an additional 4,645 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 13.5% in the 1st quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 8,493 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,981,000 after buying an additional 1,012 shares during the period. Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,296 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $302,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the period. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 84,991 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $19,822,000 after acquiring an additional 3,154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TFR Capital LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $307,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe's Companies Stock Down 1.7%

NYSE:LOW traded down $3.79 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $224.12. 1,840,145 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,493,668. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $224.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $234.13. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.39 and a 52 week high of $287.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.90.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%. The business's revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.06 EPS. As a group, analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be given a $1.20 dividend. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Mizuho restated an "outperform" rating and set a $280.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their price target 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. 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $271.12.

Insider Activity

In other 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 transaction of $257,075.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,898 shares in the company, 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. 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.