Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW Stake Raised by National Pension Service

National Pension Service increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,286,782 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,686 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $323,381,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.7% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 54,976,355 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $12,197,604,000 after purchasing an additional 366,977 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,911,775 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,527,176,000 after buying an additional 207,826 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,351,783 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,732,049,000 after buying an additional 42,190 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,773,624,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 12.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,294,776 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,079,320,000 after acquiring an additional 463,012 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 18,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.17, for a total transaction of $4,701,060.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 231,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,341,500.31. The trade was a 7.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $266.93 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.38 and a 12-month high of $281.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.73 billion, a PE ratio of 22.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.96. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $253.66 and its 200-day moving average is $247.66.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $20.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.88 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 55.86% and a net margin of 8.05%.Lowe’s Companies’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.89 EPS. Analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 21st. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 39.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on LOW shares. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $320.00 to $315.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Barclays raised Lowe’s Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $290.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, HSBC lowered their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $263.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 21st. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $284.81.

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.