Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 212,290 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 628 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $47,245,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 21.3% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,690,606 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,329,237,000 after acquiring an additional 2,050,089 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $1,461,267,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,138,824 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,483,733,000 after acquiring an additional 78,901 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 107,710.7% during 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 acquiring an additional 5,075,327 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 189.5% in the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,798,268 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $581,592,000 after buying an additional 1,831,727 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $230.24 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $131.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.13. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $181.85 and a 12-month high of $262.49. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $239.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $218.89.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 51.42% and a net margin of 8.94%. The business’s revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.28 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LOW shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on 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. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $190.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $252.52.

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.