Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Stock Position Raised by Everhart Financial Group Inc.

Everhart Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 4.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,018 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. Everhart Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $937,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,842,954,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 350.2% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,373,460 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $585,770,000 after buying an additional 1,846,315 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 26,796.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,657,332 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $386,540,000 after acquiring an additional 1,651,170 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $314,435,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW stock opened at $223.35 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.39 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $223.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $240.51. The company has a market cap of $125.17 billion, a PE ratio of 18.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.06 EPS. Lowe’s Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 39.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on LOW. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Mizuho set a $280.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $271.12.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.