Eagle Ridge Investment Management Lowers Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Eagle Ridge Investment Management lessened its position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 20.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,797 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 3,984 shares during the quarter. Eagle Ridge Investment Management's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $3,516,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its position in Lowe's Companies by 187,225.6% during the third quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,111,159 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $438,783,000 after acquiring an additional 2,110,032 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $430,090,000. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 189.5% in the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,798,268 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $581,592,000 after purchasing an additional 1,831,727 shares during the last quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 143.8% in the third quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 1,361,716 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $283,019,000 after purchasing an additional 803,216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies during the third quarter worth $144,530,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW stock traded up $1.07 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $230.94. The company had a trading volume of 1,527,242 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,495,473. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $181.85 and a 12 month high of $262.49. The firm's fifty day moving average is $239.98 and its 200 day moving average is $219.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $132.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.55, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.13.

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

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is 33.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Gordon Haskett reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $252.52.

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.