Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 28,240 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $6,285,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LOW. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 85.4% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 152 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of LOW opened at $228.62 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $240.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $220.45. The company has a market cap of $130.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.15. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $181.85 and a twelve month high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 51.42% and a net margin of 8.94%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.28 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $190.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from an “average” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $252.52.

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.