New York State Teachers Retirement System Lowers Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

New York State Teachers Retirement System cut its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 510,493 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 17,853 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $125,990,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. JNBA Financial Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 555.6% during the 3rd quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 118 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 56.4% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 118.6% during the 3rd quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LOW. DA Davidson increased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $291.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $281.64.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total transaction of $1,974,915.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,582,802.11. The trade was a 30.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $252.77 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $211.80 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $142.73 billion, a PE ratio of 21.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $256.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $258.33.

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.