Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Position Trimmed by City Holding Co.

City Holding Co. lessened its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 48,513 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 711 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies accounts for about 1.6% of City Holding Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. City Holding Co.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $11,314,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 19,830 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $4,894,000 after acquiring an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 106,305 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $26,236,000 after purchasing an additional 13,092 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 26,329 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $6,498,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 472,838 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $116,696,000 after purchasing an additional 7,187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,745,960,000 after purchasing an additional 993,833 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $225.35 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $126.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.79, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.39 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $223.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $241.40.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.06 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 39.77%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on LOW shares. DA Davidson dropped their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $271.12.

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.