Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Acquired by LSV Asset Management

LSV Asset Management lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 63.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 276,912 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 107,482 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $61,627,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LOW. Telemus Capital LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 397.9% in the 3rd quarter. Telemus Capital LLC now owns 4,939 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,027,000 after acquiring an additional 3,947 shares during the period. Everhart Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,698 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $353,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. Hixon Zuercher LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hixon Zuercher LLC now owns 28,574 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,939,000 after acquiring an additional 580 shares during the period. WealthShield Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $215,000. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 20.1% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,869 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,428,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LOW shares. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. StockNews.com lowered Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $190.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $252.52.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE LOW traded up $2.55 during trading on Friday, hitting $232.13. The stock had a trading volume of 1,834,728 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,044,726. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $181.85 and a twelve month high of $262.49. The company has a market capitalization of $132.82 billion, a PE ratio of 17.64, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.15. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $240.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $220.75.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 51.42% and a net margin of 8.94%. The business had revenue of $18.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current 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 given a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.43%.

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.