Community Bank N.A. Lowers Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Community Bank N.A. reduced its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,441 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 483 shares during the quarter. Community Bank N.A.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $4,772,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LOW. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 85.4% during 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 during the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 1.4 %

LOW stock traded down $3.25 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $230.31. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,484,364 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,520,125. 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 $131.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.50, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $239.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $219.43.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.94% and a negative return on equity of 51.42%. The company had revenue of $18.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 17.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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 given a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.91%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on LOW. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Wedbush increased 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 target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $203.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. 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 stock presently has a consensus 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.