Natixis Has $2.50 Million Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Natixis decreased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 95.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,795 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 206,814 shares during the quarter. Natixis’ holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,495,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 1.3 %

NYSE:LOW traded up $3.11 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $234.78. 2,142,177 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,547,349. The firm has a market cap of $133.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.08. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $181.85 and a 52 week high of $262.49. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $223.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $229.19.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $21.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.67 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 24th. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LOW. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, May 21st. Zelman & Associates restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $250.04.

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.