Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Acquired by First Manhattan CO. LLC.

First Manhattan CO. LLC. increased its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,399,457 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,708 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies makes up about 1.0% of First Manhattan CO. LLC.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. First Manhattan CO. LLC. owned about 0.25% of Lowe’s Companies worth $349,991,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 24,812 shares during the period. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 23.6% during the 4th quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 1,049 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,823 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $451,000 after buying an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 362,209 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $98,104,000 after buying an additional 4,435 shares during the period. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 5,958 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,470,000 after buying an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of LOW opened at $224.54 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $225.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $247.53. The company has a market capitalization of $125.68 billion, a PE ratio of 18.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.39 and a 52-week high of $287.01.

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

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LOW. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $258.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective 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. Finally, KeyCorp upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $266.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.04.

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.