Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by American National Bank & Trust

American National Bank & Trust lessened its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 7,626 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 533 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Davis Capital Management increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% during the third quarter. Davis Capital Management now owns 2,673 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $724,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,975,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.4% during the second quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 44,376 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $9,783,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 69.3% during the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 74,500 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $16,424,000 after buying an additional 30,500 shares during the period. Finally, Verity & Verity LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.7% in the second quarter. Verity & Verity LLC now owns 32,630 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $7,194,000 after buying an additional 857 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $271.97 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $248.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $236.73. The company has a market capitalization of $154.98 billion, a PE ratio of 21.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $181.85 and a twelve month high of $274.16.

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

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors 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 yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOW has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of 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. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer raised Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.54.

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.