Private Advisor Group LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 11.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 64,441 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after buying an additional 6,667 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $14,341,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Lowe's Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Lowe's Companies by 85.4% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 152 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW traded down $0.43 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $231.70. 1,698,464 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,459,765. The firm has a market cap of $132.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.15. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $181.85 and a 52-week high of $262.49. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $240.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $221.40.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $2.28 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given 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 is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is 33.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LOW. Gordon Haskett reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Zelman & Associates reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird raised Lowe's Companies from an "average" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $252.52.

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.

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