J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Boosts Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 21.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,847 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,376 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,746,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Castle Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Castle Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,827 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $852,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 9,871 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,197,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Bigelow Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,296 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $956,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Finally, John G Ullman & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth $4,980,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $230.24 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $131.74 billion, a PE ratio of 17.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $239.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $218.76. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $181.85 and a one year high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $18.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.28 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LOW. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 target price for the company. 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, April 3rd. Evercore ISI lowered their target price 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. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $252.52.

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.