Vontobel Holding Ltd. Cuts Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. reduced its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 3.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 206,516 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 7,425 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $55,935,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% in the 2nd quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Tsfg LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 128.2% during the third quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 178 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the second quarter valued at about $49,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on LOW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $272.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Gordon Haskett dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Loop Capital raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $250.00 to $300.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $268.42.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of LOW stock traded down $0.01 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $281.82. The company had a trading volume of 417,722 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,450,630. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $181.85 and a 52 week high of $287.01. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $254.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $237.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $160.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The business had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.56 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.95%.

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.