InTrack Investment Management Inc Acquires 2,471 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

InTrack Investment Management Inc grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 209.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,650 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,471 shares during the quarter. InTrack Investment Management Inc’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $851,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.6% during 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 buying an additional 501 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 106,305 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $26,236,000 after purchasing an additional 13,092 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 26,329 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $6,498,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 472,838 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $116,696,000 after purchasing an additional 7,187 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position 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 worth $1,745,960,000 after purchasing an additional 993,833 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on LOW. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note 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. Mizuho set a $280.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $271.12.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

NYSE LOW opened at $224.98 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $126.09 billion, a PE ratio of 18.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.39 and a 52-week high of $287.01. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $223.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $241.00.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $20.93 billion during 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 company’s revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.06 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be given 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

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.