KPP Advisory Services LLC Has $544,000 Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

KPP Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 3.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,332 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. KPP Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $544,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of LOW. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,842,954,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 1,846,315 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 1,651,170 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $314,435,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 993,833 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $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 SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.3%

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $221.47 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $124.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.92. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.39 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $223.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $236.58.

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 business 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 8.22% and a negative return on equity of 49.12%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.06 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LOW. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock 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. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. KeyCorp upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $266.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $271.12.

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.