Toth Financial Advisory Corp Lowers Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Toth Financial Advisory Corp decreased its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,341 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 791 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies makes up 1.4% of Toth Financial Advisory Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. Toth Financial Advisory Corp’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $11,040,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,880 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,086,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 18,786.5% in the fourth quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 106,709 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $23,748,000 after acquiring an additional 106,144 shares in the last quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC now owns 215,442 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $47,947,000 after acquiring an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 824.6% in the fourth quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 15,339 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,414,000 after acquiring an additional 13,680 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 45,072 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $10,031,000 after acquiring an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the topic of several research reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, May 21st. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Monday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $246.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Mizuho initiated coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $251.33.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.3 %

LOW stock traded up $0.66 during trading on Friday, hitting $220.46. The company had a trading volume of 12,630,451 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,428,194. The firm has a market cap of $125.63 billion, a PE ratio of 17.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.08. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $181.85 and a 1-year high of $262.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $225.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $228.26.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $21.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.14 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 48.52% and a net margin of 8.46%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.67 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be given 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 35.34%.

Lowe’s Companies 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.