Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Purchased by Claro Advisors LLC

Claro Advisors LLC raised its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 16.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,739 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Claro Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $443,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 64.9% in the third quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,873 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,091,000 after purchasing an additional 5,856 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 683,598 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $142,079,000 after acquiring an additional 43,400 shares during the last quarter. Kingfisher Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Kingfisher Capital LLC now owns 17,683 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,675,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. KPP Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $453,000. Finally, JT Stratford LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 22.8% in the third quarter. JT Stratford LLC now owns 3,374 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $701,000 after purchasing an additional 627 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on LOW shares. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $243.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, May 21st. Gordon Haskett reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. 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. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $251.33.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 3.1 %

Shares of NYSE LOW traded down $6.94 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $213.52. 2,567,479 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,554,787. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $181.85 and a 1 year high of $262.49. The stock has a market cap of $121.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.18, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $225.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $228.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly 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 negative return on equity of 48.52% and a net margin of 8.46%. The company had revenue of $21.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.67 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.28%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.