Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Sells 6,657 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lowered its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 433,022 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 6,657 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $96,369,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 187,225.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,111,159 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $438,783,000 after buying an additional 2,110,032 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $430,090,000. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 189.5% during the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,798,268 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $581,592,000 after acquiring an additional 1,831,727 shares during the period. Aristotle Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 143.8% in the 3rd quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 1,361,716 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $283,019,000 after acquiring an additional 803,216 shares during the period. Finally, J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter valued at about $144,530,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

LOW stock traded up $2.58 on Friday, hitting $232.16. 1,834,659 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,468,437. The stock has a market capitalization of $132.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.15. The business’s fifty day moving average is $240.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $220.52. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $181.85 and a twelve month high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $18.60 billion during 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%. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.28 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect 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 will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.90%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on LOW shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price 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. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. StockNews.com cut shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $252.52.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.