HTLF Bank Purchases Shares of 25,830 Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

HTLF Bank acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 25,830 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $5,748,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LOW. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,461,267,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 107,710.7% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,080,039 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,012,147,000 after buying an additional 5,075,327 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 187,225.6% during the third quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,111,159 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $438,783,000 after acquiring an additional 2,110,032 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 21.3% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,690,606 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,329,237,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $430,090,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE LOW traded up $2.41 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $231.20. 704,205 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,527,110. The stock has a market capitalization of $132.29 billion, a PE ratio of 17.57, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.13. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $181.85 and a 52 week high of $262.49. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $239.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $218.46.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $18.60 billion for 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 company’s revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.28 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. 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 payout ratio is 33.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on LOW. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $238.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $252.52.

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.