Capital Investment Advisors LLC Purchases 3,496 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 47.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,935 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 3,496 shares during the quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,550,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,270,496 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $6,483,558,000 after acquiring an additional 259,766 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,979,337 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,952,341,000 after acquiring an additional 245,876 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $1,842,954,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,745,960,000 after acquiring an additional 993,833 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,035,630 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,242,793,000 after purchasing an additional 323,371 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on LOW. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $253.00 price objective (down previously from $269.00) on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $271.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW stock opened at $225.35 on Monday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.39 and a 52 week high of $287.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $126.29 billion, a PE ratio of 18.79, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $223.72 and its 200-day moving average is $241.40.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.06 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.