CENTRAL TRUST Co Cuts Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

CENTRAL TRUST Co trimmed its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 3.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,223 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 877 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $5,883,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 119.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 31,965 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $7,889,000 after purchasing an additional 17,413 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 31.6% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 10,936 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,699,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 32.6% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 14,708 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,795,000 after buying an additional 3,616 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 5,940 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,466,000 after acquiring an additional 954 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 0.6%

LOW opened at $215.98 on Tuesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.39 and a 12-month high of $287.01. The company has a market cap of $121.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $223.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $239.26.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. Lowe’s Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.06 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.77%.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,898 shares in the company, valued at $7,256,795. This represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price objective on Lowe’s Companies and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. BNP Paribas upgraded Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $271.12.

Lowe’s Companies 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.