Whittier Trust Co. Sells 1,214 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Whittier Trust Co. lowered its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 73,384 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 1,214 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $19,875,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bamco Inc. NY raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.3% in the first quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 216,958 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $55,266,000 after purchasing an additional 20,181 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 655.9% in the first quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 6,304 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,606,000 after purchasing an additional 5,470 shares during the period. Lincoln National Corp raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% in the first quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 11,128 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,835,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 12.7% during the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 25,569 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,637,000 after acquiring an additional 2,889 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 14.4% during the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 159,742 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $43,290,000 after acquiring an additional 20,123 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:LOW traded down $5.51 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $276.13. 1,109,844 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,444,229. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $181.85 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.62, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a fifty day moving average of $257.37 and a 200 day moving average of $238.75.

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

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 36.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $230.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Gordon Haskett cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $268.42.

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.