Schear Investment Advisers LLC Increases Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Schear Investment Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 15.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,248 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $308,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $7,045,006,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399,897 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,013,655 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $6,774,948,000 after buying an additional 460,851 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,733,461 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,169,041,000 after buying an additional 187,473 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,369,052 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $912,508,000 after buying an additional 39,953 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% in the third quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,343,365 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $634,700,000 after acquiring an additional 36,054 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

LOW stock opened at $257.09 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $145.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.44, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $256.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $258.26. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $211.80 and a 52-week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd were issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 38.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $291.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $282.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.88.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total value of $1,974,915.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,703 shares in the company, valued at $4,582,802.11. The trade was a 30.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.