Stratos Investment Management LLC Acquires 741 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Stratos Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 22.2% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,079 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 741 shares during the period. Stratos Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $951,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $223.48 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $224.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $234.62. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.39 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.90.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.09 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.06 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on LOW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price target on Lowe’s Companies and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on 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. Finally, Truist Financial set a $264.00 price objective on Lowe’s Companies and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.