Cambridge Financial Group Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Cambridge Financial Group Inc. lowered its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,430 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 905 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies makes up about 3.3% of Cambridge Financial Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Cambridge Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $6,550,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 268.6% during the fourth quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,105 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,136,000 after buying an additional 3,720 shares during the period. FourThought Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC now owns 58,312 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $12,977,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. TCG Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. TCG Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,697 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $378,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 13,661 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,040,000 after purchasing an additional 1,054 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Todd Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 97,307 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $21,656,000 after purchasing an additional 4,142 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Gordon Haskett reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted 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. Zelman & Associates restated a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price objective for the company. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $252.52.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE LOW traded up $2.55 on Friday, reaching $232.13. 1,834,728 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,044,726. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $240.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $221.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $181.85 and a 12 month high of $262.49. The company has a market cap 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 issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. The firm 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%. The business’s revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.28 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. 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 is presently 33.43%.

Lowe’s Companies 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.