Fort L.P. Purchases Shares of 884 Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Fort L.P. purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 884 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $239,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Lincoln National Corp boosted its stake in 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 worth $2,835,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 185.7% during the first quarter. AAFMAA Wealth Management & Trust LLC now owns 4,211 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,073,000 after acquiring an additional 2,737 shares during the period. Conservest Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter valued at $226,000. Financial Counselors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 22.7% during the first quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 57,426 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $14,628,000 after acquiring an additional 10,628 shares during the period. Finally, Smart Money Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 51.5% during the first quarter. Smart Money Group LLC now owns 2,167 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $552,000 after acquiring an additional 737 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of Lowe’s Companies 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 directly owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Lowe’s Companies news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares in the company, 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. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

LOW stock traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $261.94. The company had a trading volume of 2,262,390 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,132,903. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $262.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $240.91. The company has a market capitalization of $148.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.72, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $189.05 and a 52 week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share 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 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. The business’s revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.56 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be given a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on LOW shares. UBS Group upped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $272.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $271.60.

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.