Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Purchased by Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 26.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 542,780 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 113,443 shares during the period. Lowe's Companies comprises approximately 2.0% of Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Lowe's Companies worth $120,796,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies in the third quarter worth $26,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Lowe's Companies in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lowe's Companies Trading Down 0.5 %

LOW traded down $1.10 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $235.03. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,336,848 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,902,560. The stock has a market cap of $134.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.15. The business's 50-day moving average price is $239.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $222.18. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $181.85 and a 12 month high of $262.49.

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

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th were given 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 (DPR) is 33.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. StockNews.com cut shares of Lowe's Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. UBS Group raised their target price on Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Zelman & Associates reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $238.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. 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, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $252.67.

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.