Juliette Williams Pryor Sells 1,130 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Stock

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW traded down $2.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $225.35. 2,216,796 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,524,016. The company's 50-day moving average is $223.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $241.57. The company has a market capitalization of $126.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.79, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.39 and a 1 year high of $287.01.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The company had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.06 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. This is a positive change from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on LOW. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $253.00 price objective (down previously from $269.00) on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. BNP Paribas raised Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp upgraded Lowe's Companies from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $266.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $271.12.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lowe's Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 19,830 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $4,894,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 106,305 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $26,236,000 after purchasing an additional 13,092 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 26,329 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $6,498,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 472,838 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $116,696,000 after buying an additional 7,187 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,745,960,000 after buying an additional 993,833 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.