Trust Investment Advisors Increases Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Trust Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,456 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Trust Investment Advisors’ holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,006,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 21.3% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,690,606 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,329,237,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,089 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $1,461,267,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 107,710.7% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,080,039 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,012,147,000 after purchasing an additional 5,075,327 shares during the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 19,964.5% in the first quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,520,122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $22,604,000 after purchasing an additional 4,497,594 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 0.9% in the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,734,142 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $740,949,000 after purchasing an additional 32,129 shares during the last quarter. 71.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Joseph Michael Mcfarland sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.53, for a total value of $1,001,385.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 46,594 shares in the company, valued at $10,368,562.82. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Joseph Michael Mcfarland sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.53, for a total transaction of $1,001,385.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 46,594 shares in the company, valued at $10,368,562.82. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Janice Dupre sold 5,380 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.28, for a total transaction of $1,244,286.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,600,676.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.7 %

LOW traded up $1.42 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $203.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,217,015 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,794,460. The firm has a market capitalization of $117.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.05, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.07. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $181.85 and a 1 year high of $237.21. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $201.92 and its 200-day moving average is $213.23.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 22nd. The home improvement retailer reported $4.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.49 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $24.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.97 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 6.48% and a negative return on equity of 58.56%. The business’s revenue was down 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 13.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 24th will be issued a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on LOW. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $235.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, November 7th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $194.00 price objective for the company. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 23rd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $242.32.

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.