Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Boosts Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 6.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 57,154 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 3,381 shares during the period. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $12,720,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC now owns 215,442 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $47,947,000 after acquiring an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co acquired a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $5,890,000. Syon Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 23.3% in the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 7,129 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,345 shares during the period. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.0% during the third quarter. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC now owns 60,958 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $12,669,000 after buying an additional 620 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 18.6% during the fourth quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,724 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $829,000 after purchasing an additional 584 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on LOW. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $238.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. StockNews.com cut Lowe's Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Wedbush lifted their target price on Lowe's Companies from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $252.67.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW traded down $1.10 on Friday, hitting $235.03. The stock had a trading volume of 1,305,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,018,660. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $181.85 and a twelve month high of $262.49. The company has a market capitalization of $134.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.15. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $239.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $221.86.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.94% and a negative return on equity of 51.42%. The company had revenue of $18.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.28 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict 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 was paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th were issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.43%.

Lowe's Companies 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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