Meeder Asset Management Inc. Has $865,000 Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 69.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,885 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 8,803 shares during the quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $865,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 9.8% during the 1st quarter. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. United Bank boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. United Bank now owns 9,734 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,968,000 after acquiring an additional 617 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC bought a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $1,629,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 256,098 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $51,780,000 after acquiring an additional 920 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 74.6% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 295 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Lowe's Companies stock traded up $3.18 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $242.50. 2,389,235 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,591,452. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $181.85 and a 1 year high of $262.49. The stock's fifty day moving average is $236.46 and its 200 day moving average is $217.01. The firm has a market cap of $138.75 billion, a PE ratio of 18.29, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.13.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $18.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.94% and a negative return on equity of 51.42%. The company's revenue was down 17.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.28 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is currently 33.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Gordon Haskett reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Oppenheimer reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $190.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $252.33.

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.