Wealthfront Advisers LLC Purchases 5,626 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 78,082 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,626 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $19,623,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 119.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 31,965 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $7,889,000 after buying an additional 17,413 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 22.3% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,534 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $340,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.0% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 42,682 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $9,470,000 after acquiring an additional 845 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 11.1% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 111,244 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $25,435,000 after acquiring an additional 11,070 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LOW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $320.00 to $315.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $296.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $284.77.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 2.7%

LOW stock opened at $284.30 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $258.68 and its 200 day moving average is $250.69. The stock has a market cap of $159.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.97. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.38 and a 1-year high of $285.73.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $20.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.88 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.05% and a negative return on equity of 55.86%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.89 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 21st were paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 21st. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lowe’s Companies news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 18,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.17, for a total transaction of $4,701,060.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 231,043 shares in the company, valued at $60,341,500.31. This trade represents a 7.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Company Profile

Lowe’s Companies, Inc is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and digital channels serving both do-it-yourself homeowners and professional contractors. The company offers a broad assortment of products including building materials, lumber, appliances, tools and hardware, plumbing and electrical supplies, paint, flooring, kitchen and bath fixtures, outdoor and garden products, and home decor. Lowe’s also provides a range of services such as installation, home improvement financing, tool and equipment rental, and contractor-focused sales programs.

Operations are centered on a nationwide brick-and-mortar store network supported by distribution centers and an e-commerce platform that enables online ordering, delivery and in-store pickup.