Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW Shares Sold by Country Trust Bank

Country Trust Bank decreased its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 116,526 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 9,184 shares during the period. Country Trust Bank’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $29,284,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Solstein Capital LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 627.8% in the 2nd quarter. Solstein Capital LLC now owns 131 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 128.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 135 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOW has been the topic of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson decreased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $266.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $290.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.92.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.17, for a total value of $4,701,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 231,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,341,500.31. This trade represents a 7.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE:LOW opened at $276.87 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $244.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $244.01. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.38 and a twelve month high of $278.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $155.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.96, a PEG ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 0.96.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 55.86% and a net margin of 8.05%.The company had revenue of $20.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.88 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.89 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 21st will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 21st. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

About Lowe’s Companies

Lowe’s Companies, Inc is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and digital channels serving both do-it-yourself homeowners and professional contractors. The company offers a broad assortment of products including building materials, lumber, appliances, tools and hardware, plumbing and electrical supplies, paint, flooring, kitchen and bath fixtures, outdoor and garden products, and home decor. Lowe’s also provides a range of services such as installation, home improvement financing, tool and equipment rental, and contractor-focused sales programs.

Operations are centered on a nationwide brick-and-mortar store network supported by distribution centers and an e-commerce platform that enables online ordering, delivery and in-store pickup.