Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Sells 100,495 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky cut its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 70.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 42,002 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 100,495 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $10,366,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP raised its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP now owns 4,101 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,012,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Powers Advisory Group LLC grew its position in Lowe's Companies by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,541 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $380,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Saxony Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Lowe's Companies by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Saxony Capital Management LLC now owns 994 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,012 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $3,705,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, O Brien Greene & Co. Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 2,896 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on LOW shares. Bank of America dropped their price target on Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $266.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $278.21.

Lowe's Companies Stock Down 0.5 %

Lowe's Companies stock traded down $1.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $220.95. The company had a trading volume of 1,493,675 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,477,556. The company has a 50 day moving average of $229.29 and a 200-day moving average of $250.63. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.39 and a 52 week high of $287.01. The firm has a market cap of $123.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.43, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.07.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $18.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. On average, analysts predict that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is 37.67%.

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.