Horan Capital Advisors LLC. Decreases Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Horan Capital Advisors LLC. reduced its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 18.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,657 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 620 shares during the period. Horan Capital Advisors LLC.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,930,693 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,271,836,000 after buying an additional 116,855 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,138,824 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,483,733,000 after buying an additional 78,901 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 189.5% during the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,798,268 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $581,592,000 after buying an additional 1,831,727 shares during the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 187,225.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,111,159 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $438,783,000 after buying an additional 2,110,032 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth $430,090,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

LOW opened at $232.13 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $240.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $220.75. The company has a market cap of $132.82 billion, a PE ratio of 17.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.15. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $181.85 and a 1 year high of $262.49.

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

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho assumed coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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. Zelman & Associates reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $199.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.52.

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.