S.A. Mason LLC Has $978,000 Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

S.A. Mason LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,194 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the quarter. S.A. Mason LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $978,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,842,954,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 350.2% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,373,460 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $585,770,000 after acquiring an additional 1,846,315 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 26,796.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,657,332 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $386,540,000 after acquiring an additional 1,651,170 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $314,435,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 16.3% in the 4th 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 during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

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 value of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LOW. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price target on Lowe’s Companies and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. BNP Paribas upgraded Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, 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 research note on Wednesday, May 14th. 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 data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $271.12.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

LOW stock opened at $220.12 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $222.91 and a 200-day moving average of $237.06. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.39 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $123.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.92.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%. The firm had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.06 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be given 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 2.18%. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.11%.

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.