Acropolis Investment Management LLC Boosts Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Acropolis Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,066 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 387 shares during the quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,991,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $7,045,006,000 after buying an additional 2,399,897 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,013,655 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $6,774,948,000 after acquiring an additional 460,851 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,733,461 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,169,041,000 after acquiring an additional 187,473 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,205,491 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,147,603,000 after acquiring an additional 82,978 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,369,052 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $912,508,000 after purchasing an additional 39,953 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of LOW opened at $251.30 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.96, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.11. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $260.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $253.93. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $209.55 and a twelve month high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on LOW shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total value of $1,974,915.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,582,802.11. This represents a 30.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.