Markel Group Inc. Grows Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Markel Group Inc. grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 701,480 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,000 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies comprises about 1.5% of Markel Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Markel Group Inc. owned about 0.12% of Lowe’s Companies worth $173,125,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $7,045,006,000 after acquiring an additional 2,399,897 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,013,655 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $6,774,948,000 after acquiring an additional 460,851 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,733,461 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,169,041,000 after acquiring an additional 187,473 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,186,720 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,033,283,000 after acquiring an additional 385,994 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,459,064 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $853,697,000 after buying an additional 90,012 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on LOW shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on 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 decreased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.83.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

LOW opened at $242.07 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $136.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $251.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $259.27. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $211.80 and a one year high of $287.01.

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

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.