Russell Investments Group Ltd. Trims Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 7.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 481,816 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 39,870 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $107,245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LOW. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 85.4% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 152 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying 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. purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 0.0 %

LOW traded down $0.09 during trading on Friday, hitting $229.87. The stock had a trading volume of 2,001,196 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,110,073. The firm has a market cap of $131.53 billion, a PE ratio of 17.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.13. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $181.85 and a 12 month high of $262.49. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $239.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $219.82.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its 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 firm had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The business 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 33.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on LOW shares. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $199.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Monday, March 4th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Mizuho started coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price target for the company. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.52.

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.