BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Decreases Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S reduced its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.6% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 133,589 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 2,221 shares during the quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $30,752,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,614 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $406,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter valued at about $266,000. Savant Capital LLC increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 3.4% during the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 21,363 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $5,369,000 after buying an additional 708 shares during the last quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% in the third quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC now owns 7,617 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,914,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Finally, Baker Boyer National Bank boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 6.7% in the third quarter. Baker Boyer National Bank now owns 1,009 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Gordon Haskett upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $260.00 to $252.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $284.81.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW opened at $275.79 on Thursday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.38 and a 52-week high of $281.36. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $255.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $249.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $154.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.97.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $20.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.88 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.89 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 21st were paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 21st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 231,043 shares in the company, valued at $60,341,500.31. The trade was a 7.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.