Bank OZK Has $1.17 Million Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Bank OZK cut its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 5.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,008 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 277 shares during the period. Bank OZK’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 60.0% in the first quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE:LOW opened at $250.86 on Tuesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $206.38 and a one year high of $287.01. The company has a market cap of $140.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $227.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $229.98.

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 the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.06 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd were paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.77%.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LOW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $253.00 to $242.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $271.68.

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.