Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $120.30 Million Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 8.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 478,707 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 38,457 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $120,304,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LOW. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,773,624,000. Tableaux LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the second quarter valued at about $282,884,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 22,167.5% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,032,319 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $229,041,000 after acquiring an additional 1,027,683 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 243.2% in the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 1,116,945 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $247,817,000 after acquiring an additional 791,526 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 101.4% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,244,941 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $312,866,000 after acquiring an additional 626,829 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 18,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.17, for a total transaction of $4,701,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 231,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,341,500.31. This trade represents a 7.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Gordon Haskett upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Argus lowered their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $286.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $260.00 to $252.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Nineteen equities 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $284.81.

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 stock has a market capitalization of $149.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $253.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $247.88.

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

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

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

Lowe’s Companies Profile

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.