Princeton Global Asset Management LLC Sells 233 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Princeton Global Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 7.3% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,951 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 233 shares during the quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $688,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 60.0% in the first quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. BNP Paribas upgraded Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. DA Davidson lowered their target price on 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. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $271.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,898 shares in the company, valued at $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE LOW opened at $225.35 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.39 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The stock has a market cap of $126.29 billion, a PE ratio of 18.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $223.72 and its 200 day moving average is $241.72.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.06 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a $1.20 dividend. 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 2.13%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.77%.

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.