Leibman Financial Services Inc. Acquires 125 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Leibman Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 15,711 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies makes up approximately 3.0% of Leibman Financial Services Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Leibman Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $4,255,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 5.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 53,693,630 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $13,677,378,000 after acquiring an additional 2,674,372 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,205,491 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,147,603,000 after purchasing an additional 82,978 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 36.6% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,840,704 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $468,884,000 after purchasing an additional 493,180 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 6.0% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,617,849 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $356,671,000 after purchasing an additional 90,945 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 11.1% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,499,015 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $330,473,000 after buying an additional 149,649 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Gordon Haskett cut their price target 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. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.54.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW opened at $273.27 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $155.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $181.85 and a 52 week high of $274.26. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $250.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $237.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. The business’s revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.56 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.95%.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was 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 owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

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.