Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Has $30.04 Million Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. decreased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 128,795 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 3,255 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies comprises 1.0% of Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $30,039,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,842,954,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 350.2% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,373,460 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $585,770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,846,315 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 26,796.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,657,332 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $386,540,000 after purchasing an additional 1,651,170 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $314,435,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,745,960,000 after purchasing an additional 993,833 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $216.99 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $121.61 billion, a PE ratio of 18.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92. The company’s 50-day moving average is $223.77 and its 200-day moving average is $240.11. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.39 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01.

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 for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.06 EPS. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current 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 paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 39.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 5th. KeyCorp raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $266.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Mizuho reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $280.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $271.12.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,256,795. The trade was a 3.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.