FourThought Financial Partners LLC Has $12.98 Million Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

FourThought Financial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 58,312 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 242 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies comprises about 1.6% of FourThought Financial Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. FourThought Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $12,977,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Bailard Inc. boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 7,138 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,484,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter worth $225,000. Intellectus Partners LLC raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 112.1% in the 3rd quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC now owns 2,055 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $427,000 after buying an additional 1,086 shares during the last quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 59.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 3,103 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $645,000 after acquiring an additional 1,152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sawyer & Company Inc boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc now owns 3,942 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $819,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the subject of several analyst reports. Gordon Haskett reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $190.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.52.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

LOW stock traded up $2.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $232.13. 1,834,728 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,044,726. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $240.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $220.75. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $181.85 and a 52-week high of $262.49. The company has a market capitalization of $132.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.15.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.94% and a negative return on equity of 51.42%. The company had revenue of $18.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.28 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 33.43%.

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.