Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Purchases 13,857 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 142,591 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 13,857 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $35,192,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 56.4% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. BNP Paribas upgraded Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, KeyCorp raised shares of Lowe's Companies from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $266.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $278.21.

Lowe's Companies Trading Down 0.8 %

LOW stock traded down $1.89 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $225.30. The stock had a trading volume of 1,877,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,484,343. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.39 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The company has a fifty day moving average of $227.43 and a 200 day moving average of $248.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $126.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.79, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.07.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.10. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The firm had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.29 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is currently 37.67%.

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.