Yousif Capital Management LLC Sells 3,455 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Yousif Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 3.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 107,904 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 3,455 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $25,166,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FMR LLC grew its stake in Lowe's Companies by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,270,496 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $6,483,558,000 after acquiring an additional 259,766 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,979,337 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $2,952,341,000 after purchasing an additional 245,876 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $1,842,954,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in 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 valued at $1,745,960,000 after purchasing an additional 993,833 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,035,630 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,242,793,000 after acquiring an additional 323,371 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

LOW stock traded down $0.84 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $224.06. 320,365 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,516,734. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $223.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $241.00. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.39 and a 52-week high of $287.01. The company has a market capitalization of $125.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92.

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, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. Lowe's Companies's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.06 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LOW. DA Davidson dropped their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. BNP Paribas raised Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price target on Lowe's Companies and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set a $253.00 price objective (down from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $271.12.

Insider Activity at Lowe's Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.