Richwood Investment Advisors LLC Sells 228 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Richwood Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 3.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,249 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 228 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies comprises 1.4% of Richwood Investment Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Richwood Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,692,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Stephens Consulting LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% during the second quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 54.7% in the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 198 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forbes J M & Co. LLP acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $51,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the subject of several analyst reports. Gordon Haskett lowered their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Melius Research started coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $290.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $230.00 to $305.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $268.42.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 1.8 %

Lowe’s Companies stock traded up $5.07 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $285.80. The stock had a trading volume of 584,355 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,451,877. The firm has a market capitalization of $162.86 billion, a PE ratio of 22.57, a P/E/G 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 $286.38. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $253.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $237.77.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.56 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 36.95%.

Insider Activity

In other Lowe’s Companies news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.