VeraBank N.A. Sells 250 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

VeraBank N.A. reduced its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 14,849 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 250 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies accounts for approximately 1.1% of VeraBank N.A.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. VeraBank N.A.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $3,305,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 85.4% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 152 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of LOW stock traded up $2.55 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $232.13. 1,834,728 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,044,726. The company has a market cap of $132.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.15. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $181.85 and a fifty-two week high of $262.49. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $240.07 and its 200-day moving average is $220.75.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. The company 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%. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue was down 17.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.28 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be paid a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.90%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on LOW shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Wedbush upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Monday, March 4th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Fifteen investment 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 target price 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.