Aristotle Capital Management LLC Trims Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Aristotle Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,852,429 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 25,664 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies accounts for 1.8% of Aristotle Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Aristotle Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $950,779,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 649,601 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $175,944,000 after purchasing an additional 24,812 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 5,240 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,293,000 after buying an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,162 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,521,000 after buying an additional 850 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. now owns 20,269 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $5,002,000 after buying an additional 1,720 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 45.5% in the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 9,600 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,369,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $227.18 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $127.15 billion, a PE ratio of 18.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $227.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $249.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.39 and a 12-month high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. As a group, sell-side 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of 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. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, KeyCorp upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $266.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.21.

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.