Fountainhead AM LLC Purchases 268 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Fountainhead AM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 15.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,957 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 268 shares during the period. Fountainhead AM LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $457,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW traded up $0.56 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $219.14. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,399,060 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,496,476. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $223.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $233.21. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.39 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The firm has a market cap of $122.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.22% and a negative return on equity of 49.12%. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.06 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on LOW shares. KeyCorp upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $266.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $271.12.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.