Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. Purchases 215 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.0% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,845 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies comprises 1.7% of Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,529,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 19,830 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,894,000 after acquiring an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 106,305 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $26,236,000 after buying an additional 13,092 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 26,329 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $6,498,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 472,838 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $116,696,000 after buying an additional 7,187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,745,960,000 after purchasing an additional 993,833 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW stock opened at $225.35 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $126.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $223.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $241.57. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.39 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.88 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The company’s revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.06 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.77%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,898 shares in the company, valued at $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho set a $280.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $271.12.

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.