American National Bank & Trust Co. VA Invests $7.53 Million in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

American National Bank & Trust Co. VA bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 29,563 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $7,530,000. Lowe’s Companies accounts for approximately 1.8% of American National Bank & Trust Co. VA’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,880 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,086,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 18,786.5% during the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 106,709 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $23,748,000 after purchasing an additional 106,144 shares in the last quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC now owns 215,442 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $47,947,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 824.6% during the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 15,339 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,414,000 after purchasing an additional 13,680 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 45,072 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $10,031,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

LOW stock traded down $0.40 on Thursday, reaching $213.30. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,423,518 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,828,350. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $224.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $228.21. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $181.85 and a 12-month high of $262.49. The firm has a market cap of $121.55 billion, a PE ratio of 17.13, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.08.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.94 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $21.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.14 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 48.52% and a net margin of 8.46%. The firm’s revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.67 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.28%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 24th. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on LOW shares. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Gordon Haskett reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $250.41.

Lowe’s Companies Company Profile

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.