Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) is Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc.’s 8th Largest Position

Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. decreased its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.2% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 189,821 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 350 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies accounts for about 3.2% of Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $48,353,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LOW. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $243.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, Zelman & Associates restated a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $251.33.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock traded up $0.73 on Friday, reaching $220.53. The company had a trading volume of 12,630,398 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,554,689. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $181.85 and a 52-week high of $262.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $225.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $228.26. The firm has a market cap of $125.67 billion, a PE ratio of 17.71, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.08.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 24th. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 35.34%.

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.