AJOVista LLC Purchases New Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

AJOVista LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 855 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $190,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LOW. Simon Quick Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 22.9% in the third quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 1,225 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter worth about $71,000. Bailard Inc. boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 3.0% during the third quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 7,138 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,484,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% in the third quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 290,545 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $60,387,000 after purchasing an additional 4,600 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.4% during the third quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 761,225 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $158,213,000 after purchasing an additional 2,668 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 1.1 %

Lowe’s Companies stock traded up $2.55 during trading on Friday, reaching $232.13. The company had a trading volume of 1,834,728 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,044,726. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $240.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $220.75. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $181.85 and a 52 week high of $262.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $132.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.15.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 51.42% and a net margin of 8.94%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.28 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on LOW. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. StockNews.com downgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $190.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from an “average” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.