Wills Financial Group LLC Invests $396,000 in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Key Points

• Wills Financial Group LLC has invested $396,000 in Lowe's Companies by acquiring 1,700 shares during the first quarter, reflecting growing interest in the home improvement retailer.
• Wall Street ratings for Lowe's show a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $270.68, supported by recent upgrades from several analysts.
• Lowe's has increased its quarterly dividend to $1.20 per share, indicating a solid commitment to returning value to shareholders amid fluctuating earnings performance.

Wills Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,700 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock, valued at approximately $396,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LOW. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 119.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 31,965 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $7,889,000 after buying an additional 17,413 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 31.6% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 14,759 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $3,643,000 after purchasing an additional 2,289 shares in the last quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 4,506 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,112,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perennial Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,518 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $621,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on LOW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Mizuho reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $280.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Friday, June 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price objective on Lowe's Companies and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Truist Financial set a $264.00 price objective on Lowe's Companies and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $270.68.

Insider Activity

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

Lowe's Companies Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE LOW traded up $3.86 on Tuesday, reaching $237.67. 3,107,025 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,648,738. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.38 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The business's fifty day moving average price is $223.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $231.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $133.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.89.

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 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 business had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.06 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.77%.

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.