Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Boosts Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,115 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $687,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tidemark LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $272.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.96.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.8 %

LOW traded up $1.96 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $242.29. 1,463,407 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,532,615. The firm has a market cap of $138.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $230.83 and a 200 day moving average of $232.19. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $181.85 and a 12-month high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 48.52% and a net margin of 8.46%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.56 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th were paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 24th. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.95%.

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.