Vontobel Holding Ltd. Decreases Stock Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lowered its holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 832,098 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 5,137 shares during the quarter. Lowe's Companies comprises approximately 0.9% of Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Vontobel Holding Ltd. owned about 0.14% of Lowe's Companies worth $185,183,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LOW. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Lowe's Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in Lowe's Companies by 85.4% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 152 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. bought a new position in Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Lowe's Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LOW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Lowe's Companies from $190.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Zelman & Associates reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Mizuho initiated coverage on Lowe's Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $280.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $252.33.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

NYSE LOW traded down $3.39 on Friday, reaching $232.05. 2,117,498 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,537,523. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $181.85 and a 12 month high of $262.49. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $238.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $218.01. The stock has a market cap of $132.78 billion, a PE ratio of 17.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.13.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $18.47 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.94% and a negative return on equity of 51.42%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.28 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.43%.

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.