Whipplewood Advisors LLC Sells 77 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Whipplewood Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 9.6% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 729 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 77 shares during the quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $184,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 1.5%

NYSE:LOW opened at $228.81 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $224.00 and a 200 day moving average of $242.35. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.39 and a 52 week high of $287.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $128.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 39.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $296.00 to $269.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 24th. DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. BNP Paribas raised shares of Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. KeyCorp raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $266.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $253.00 price target (down from $269.00) on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $271.12.

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.