John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Has $5.60 Million Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. decreased its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,975 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $5,598,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 13.5% in 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 buying an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 18,786.5% in the fourth quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 106,709 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $23,748,000 after purchasing an additional 106,144 shares in the last quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC now owns 215,442 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $47,947,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 824.6% in the fourth quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 15,339 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,414,000 after purchasing an additional 13,680 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 45,072 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $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 up $9.00 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $229.74. 3,006,852 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,540,821. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $222.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $227.97. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $181.85 and a 52 week high of $262.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $130.92 billion, a PE ratio of 18.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.08.

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

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 35.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Mizuho assumed coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price objective on the stock. Zelman & Associates restated a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $250.41.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.