Wesbanco Bank Inc. Has $15.50 Million Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,232 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,683 shares during the quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $15,501,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LOW. Bamco Inc. NY increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 10.3% during the 1st quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 216,958 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $55,266,000 after purchasing an additional 20,181 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 655.9% during the first quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 6,304 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,606,000 after buying an additional 5,470 shares during the period. 17 Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the first quarter valued at $1,368,000. Lincoln National Corp lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% in the first quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 11,128 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,835,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Finally, Daymark Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 12.7% in the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 25,569 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,637,000 after buying an additional 2,889 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $280.97 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $160.11 billion, a PE ratio of 22.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $181.85 and a 12-month high of $281.40. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $253.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $237.77.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.56 EPS. The company’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 11.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be given a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on LOW shares. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $230.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.42.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were 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 directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies 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.