Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Boosts Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 91.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 380 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $94,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 56.4% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOW has been the subject of several research reports. 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. BNP Paribas raised shares of Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. One 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.71.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 1.7 %

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $228.20 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $245.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $257.38. The stock has a market cap of $127.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $211.80 and a 52 week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.29 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. Research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.67%.

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.