Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Stock Holdings Boosted by Ethic Inc.

Ethic Inc. boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 35.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,191 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,231 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $12,387,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 649,601 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $175,944,000 after acquiring an additional 24,812 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 288.6% during the fourth quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 19,028 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,696,000 after purchasing an additional 14,132 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 362,209 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $98,104,000 after purchasing an additional 4,435 shares in the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 19,830 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $4,894,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the period. Finally, Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 106,305 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $26,236,000 after buying an additional 13,092 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America cut their target price on 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, KeyCorp raised Lowe’s Companies from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $266.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.04.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.5 %

LOW opened at $224.54 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $125.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.73, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $225.61 and a 200-day moving average of $247.53. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.39 and a 12-month high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The firm had revenue of $18.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.29 billion. On average, analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 37.67%.

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.