Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lowered its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 156,213 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 4,427 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $38,668,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 56.4% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on LOW shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price 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. Mizuho dropped their price target on Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $278.21.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

Shares of LOW stock traded up $0.66 on Tuesday, hitting $221.81. 473,795 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,467,950. The company's fifty day moving average is $228.78 and its 200 day moving average is $250.25. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.39 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The company has a market capitalization of $124.15 billion, a PE ratio of 18.49, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.07.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.