John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Sells 425 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. lessened its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,016 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 425 shares during the quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $5,963,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. SSI Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $232,000. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.0% in the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 241,546 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $65,422,000 after purchasing an additional 2,324 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC now owns 27,300 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $7,394,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 20,757 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,622,000 after purchasing an additional 1,219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EagleClaw Capital Managment LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. EagleClaw Capital Managment LLC now owns 34,172 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $9,255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,295 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $277.92.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value 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 41.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was 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 directly owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 30.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE LOW opened at $263.03 on Thursday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.23 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $268.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $244.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $149.21 billion, a PE ratio of 21.94, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.56 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were given a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.37%.

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.