Parthenon LLC Grows Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Parthenon LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 13.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,771 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the quarter. Parthenon LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,021,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. JNBA Financial Advisors raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 555.6% in the 3rd quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 118 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 118.6% in the third quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% in the second quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Tsfg LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 128.2% during the third quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 178 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Loop Capital raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $250.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.84.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Lowe’s Companies news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE:LOW traded up $3.73 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $273.63. The company had a trading volume of 358,451 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,434,382. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.23 and a 12-month high of $287.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $155.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.67, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $265.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $242.85.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. The business had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.56 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.92 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.68%. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 38.14%.

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.