Mather Group LLC. Sells 52,696 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Mather Group LLC. cut its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 82.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,402 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 52,696 shares during the quarter. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,659,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gen Wealth Partners Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc now owns 2,163 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $534,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,286 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 4,793 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,183,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 7,509 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,853,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dumont & Blake Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Dumont & Blake Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,570 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,066,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 2.9%

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $228.22 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $127.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.91. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.39 and a twelve month high of $287.01. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $223.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $235.51.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.06 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.10%. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 38.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on LOW. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $253.00 price target (down previously from $269.00) on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. KeyCorp raised shares of 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. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $271.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.