Boston Family Office LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Boston Family Office LLC decreased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,662 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 273 shares during the period. Boston Family Office LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $5,593,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 649,601 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $175,944,000 after purchasing an additional 24,812 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 288.6% during the fourth quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 19,028 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,696,000 after purchasing an additional 14,132 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 362,209 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $98,104,000 after acquiring an additional 4,435 shares in the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 19,830 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,894,000 after buying an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 472,838 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $116,696,000 after purchasing an additional 7,187 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 2.2 %

LOW opened at $233.38 on Tuesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $211.80 and a 12-month high of $287.01. The firm has a market cap of $130.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.46, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $245.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $257.24.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $18.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. On average, research analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.97%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 37.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on LOW. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. BNP Paribas upgraded Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.71.

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.