Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas Purchases 6,399 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 31.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,577 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,399 shares during the quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas’ holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $7,198,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bamco Inc. NY increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 10.3% in the first 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 last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 655.9% during the 1st quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 6,304 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,606,000 after acquiring an additional 5,470 shares during the last quarter. 17 Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,368,000. Lincoln National Corp increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daymark Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 12.7% during the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 25,569 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $5,637,000 after purchasing an additional 2,889 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Lowe’s Companies news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction 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 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 transaction, 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. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on LOW shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $230.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $266.88.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of LOW opened at $275.76 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $252.80 and its 200-day moving average is $237.58. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $181.85 and a fifty-two week high of $278.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $157.14 billion, a PE ratio of 22.15, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $23.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.56 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.95%.

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.