FineMark National Bank & Trust Cuts Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

FineMark National Bank & Trust lessened its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 51,534 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 473 shares during the period. FineMark National Bank & Trust’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $11,469,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Private Management Group Inc. increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 1,205 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $268,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,590 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $576,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 15,772 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,510,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC now owns 2,439 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $507,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abundance Wealth Counselors increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 6,671 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,485,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

NYSE LOW traded down $3.76 during trading on Thursday, hitting $217.37. The stock had a trading volume of 1,703,762 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,437,043. The stock has a market capitalization of $124.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.15. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $181.85 and a one year high of $262.49. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $237.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $224.71.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $21.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th were paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on LOW shares. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $255.00 to $250.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Mizuho started coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price objective for the company. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Zelman & Associates restated a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.