Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA Trims Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA lessened its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 11.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,804 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 235 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $401,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 33.7% during the third quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 3,345 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $695,000 after purchasing an additional 843 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 100.4% in the third quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 31,158 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $6,492,000 after buying an additional 15,612 shares in the last quarter. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.0% in the third quarter. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC now owns 60,958 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $12,669,000 after buying an additional 620 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2.5% in the third quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 6,950 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,444,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter valued at $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE:LOW opened at $238.02 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $136.19 billion, a PE ratio of 18.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.13. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $235.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $216.85. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $181.85 and a 12 month high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.28 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $203.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $190.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Gordon Haskett reissued a “hold” rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $252.33.

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.