LRI Investments LLC Buys Shares of 2,008 Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,008 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $468,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Private Management Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 1,205 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. First Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.1% in the first quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 1,509 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $384,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. McAdam LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.5% in the first quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 1,363 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $347,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,590 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Jag Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 15,772 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,510,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Zelman & Associates reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Gordon Haskett reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $245.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $246.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $250.04.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 1.7 %

LOW stock traded up $4.10 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $238.87. 1,942,530 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,878,763. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $181.85 and a twelve month high of $262.49. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $223.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $229.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $136.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.08.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.12. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 48.52% and a net margin of 8.46%. The company had revenue of $21.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.67 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 24th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.25%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 36.95%.

Lowe’s Companies 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.