Focus Partners Wealth Increases Stock Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 7.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 263,811 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after buying an additional 17,329 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $65,429,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,842,954,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 350.2% during the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,373,460 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $585,770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,846,315 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $314,435,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 24,531.0% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,228,102 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $303,096,000 after purchasing an additional 1,223,116 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position 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 worth $1,745,960,000 after purchasing an additional 993,833 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lowe's Companies Trading Up 0.5%

LOW stock traded up $1.09 during trading on Friday, reaching $233.54. 698,746 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,499,795. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.39 and a twelve month high of $287.01. The firm's 50 day moving average is $224.31 and its 200 day moving average is $246.13. The firm has a market cap of $130.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00.

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 negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.29 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were paid a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.97%. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is 37.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on LOW. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $277.00.

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.