Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Position Boosted by Machina Capital S.A.S.

Machina Capital S.A.S. increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 498.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,560 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,464 shares during the quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,619,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. D.B. Root & Company LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $210,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 649,601 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $175,944,000 after purchasing an additional 24,812 shares during the period. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $222,000. LS Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 3.2% in the third quarter. LS Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,442 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,745,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Lewis Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 11.4% in the third quarter. Lewis Asset Management LLC now owns 2,394 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $648,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 0.3 %

LOW opened at $242.84 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $251.90 and a 200-day moving average of $259.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $137.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.25, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $211.80 and a 12-month high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. On average, analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. DA Davidson upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Mizuho cut their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.83.

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.