Willis Investment Counsel Buys 5,371 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Willis Investment Counsel increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 6.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 83,418 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,371 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $20,964,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 54,976,355 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $12,197,604,000 after acquiring an additional 366,977 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.8% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,911,775 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,527,176,000 after acquiring an additional 207,826 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,351,783 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,732,049,000 after acquiring an additional 42,190 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,773,624,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 12.1% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,294,776 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,079,320,000 after purchasing an additional 463,012 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.17, for a total value of $4,701,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 231,043 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,341,500.31. This represents a 7.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LOW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Gordon Haskett raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. HSBC cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $263.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 21st. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $325.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $284.81.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE LOW opened at $277.00 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $256.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $249.22. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.38 and a 12-month high of $281.36. The company has a market capitalization of $155.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.94, a P/E/G ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.97.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $20.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.88 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 55.86% and a net margin of 8.05%.The company’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.89 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 21st were given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 21st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.80%.

About Lowe’s Companies

Lowe’s Companies, Inc is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and digital channels serving both do-it-yourself homeowners and professional contractors. The company offers a broad assortment of products including building materials, lumber, appliances, tools and hardware, plumbing and electrical supplies, paint, flooring, kitchen and bath fixtures, outdoor and garden products, and home decor. Lowe’s also provides a range of services such as installation, home improvement financing, tool and equipment rental, and contractor-focused sales programs.

Operations are centered on a nationwide brick-and-mortar store network supported by distribution centers and an e-commerce platform that enables online ordering, delivery and in-store pickup.