Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Raises Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 6.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,263 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,466 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $12,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 31.5% during the 4th quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors now owns 3,314 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $737,000 after purchasing an additional 794 shares during the last quarter. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,332,000. Financial Strategies Group Inc. grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. Financial Strategies Group Inc. now owns 14,387 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,029,000 after purchasing an additional 2,646 shares during the last quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 35.6% during the 4th quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. now owns 24,299 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $5,408,000 after purchasing an additional 6,380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 3,994 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $889,000 after acquiring an additional 403 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on LOW. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $199.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Gordon Haskett restated a “hold” rating and set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $252.52.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $229.62 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $131.38 billion, a PE ratio of 17.39, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $239.29 and a 200 day moving average of $218.38. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $181.85 and a one year high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $18.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.47 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.94% and a negative return on equity of 51.42%. The firm’s revenue was down 17.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.28 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be issued a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 33.43%.

Lowe’s Companies 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.