WINTON GROUP Ltd Makes New Investment in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,217 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $300,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LOW. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 56.4% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $228.20 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $127.73 billion, a PE ratio of 19.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $211.80 and a one year high of $287.01. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $245.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $257.38.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.29 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. On average, analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.02%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 37.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.71.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.