Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Acquired by Trust Investment Advisors

Trust Investment Advisors increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,422 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Trust Investment Advisors’ holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $975,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 824.6% in the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 15,339 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,414,000 after purchasing an additional 13,680 shares in the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.3% during the first quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 216,958 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $55,266,000 after buying an additional 20,181 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 655.9% during the first quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 6,304 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,606,000 after buying an additional 5,470 shares during the period. 17 Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,368,000. Finally, Gerber LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $235,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lowe’s Companies news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 1.7 %

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $261.01 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.96, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $243.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $235.27. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $181.85 and a twelve month high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.56 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 36.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on LOW shares. Gordon Haskett dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. UBS Group increased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $272.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $253.33.

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.