Retirement Planning Group LLC Raises Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Retirement Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 17.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,002 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $247,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV raised its stake in 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 worth $4,894,000 after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 106,305 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $26,236,000 after buying an additional 13,092 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 26,329 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $6,498,000 after buying an additional 2,615 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 472,838 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $116,696,000 after buying an additional 7,187 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,745,960,000 after buying an additional 993,833 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $221.08 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $123.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.44, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.39 and a 52-week high of $287.01. The business’s 50 day moving average is $224.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $244.68.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.06 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price objective on Lowe’s Companies and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. KeyCorp upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $266.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $271.52.

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.