Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Biondo Investment Advisors LLC

Biondo Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 61,483 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 173 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies makes up approximately 2.1% of Biondo Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Biondo Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $15,174,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 56.4% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LOW. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.71.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of LOW opened at $228.20 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $127.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. The business’s 50 day moving average is $245.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $257.24. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $211.80 and a 52-week high of $287.01.

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

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.02%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.67%.

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.