Jump Financial LLC Reduces Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Jump Financial LLC reduced its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 61.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,743 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 2,777 shares during the quarter. Jump Financial LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $388,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Lincoln National Corp raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 9.7% during the third quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 11,309 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,350,000 after purchasing an additional 1,002 shares during the period. Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% in the third quarter. Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC now owns 20,766 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,316,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 546,501 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $113,585,000 after acquiring an additional 1,461 shares during the period. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 22.5% during the third quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 2,583 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $537,000 after acquiring an additional 475 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 57.1% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 95,612 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $19,872,000 after purchasing an additional 34,734 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of LOW opened at $215.21 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $236.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.81. The company has a market cap of $123.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.29, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.15. 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, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.94 by $0.12. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.46% and a negative return on equity of 48.52%. The firm had revenue of $21.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.67 EPS. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th were given a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on LOW. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $238.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Zelman & Associates reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $251.33.

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.