Mutual Advisors LLC Increases Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 13.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 13,050 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,519 shares during the quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,883,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 60.0% in the 1st quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE LOW opened at $228.00 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $127.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.90. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.39 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $223.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $235.23.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.09 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.22% and a negative return on equity of 49.12%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.06 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 38.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on LOW. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Mizuho reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $280.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Friday, June 13th. KeyCorp raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $266.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $271.12.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,898 shares in the company, valued at $7,256,795. This represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

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.