First National Bank of Omaha Purchases Shares of 31,893 Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

First National Bank of Omaha acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 31,893 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $8,015,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LOW. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Solstein Capital LLC lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 627.8% during the 2nd quarter. Solstein Capital LLC now owns 131 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 78.5% in the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 116 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Traub Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 128.8% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 135 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on LOW. Barclays upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $285.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $290.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. UBS Group cut 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. Citigroup raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Argus dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $286.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $287.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 18,000 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $60,341,500.31. The trade was a 7.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of LOW opened at $280.80 on Wednesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.38 and a 52 week high of $293.06. The firm has a market cap of $157.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.28, a PEG ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $262.65 and a 200-day moving average of $252.73.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 55.86% and a net margin of 8.05%.The firm had revenue of $20.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.88 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.89 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Company Profile

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.