First United Bank & Trust Sells 254 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

First United Bank & Trust trimmed its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,078 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 254 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies makes up approximately 1.2% of First United Bank & Trust’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. First United Bank & Trust’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $3,283,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 119.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 31,965 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $7,889,000 after acquiring an additional 17,413 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 31.6% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 3,989 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $985,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 4,861 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,200,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Augustine Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 76.3% during the fourth quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,870 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,696,000 after purchasing an additional 2,974 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

LOW stock opened at $221.23 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $123.98 billion, a PE ratio of 18.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $206.39 and a one year high of $287.01. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $223.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $240.87.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.06 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 39.77%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the topic of several recent research reports. 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 report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $271.12.

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.