Members Wealth LLC Trims Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Members Wealth LLC lessened its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 17.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,665 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 348 shares during the quarter. Members Wealth LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $388,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LOW. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,842,954,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 350.2% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,373,460 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $585,770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,846,315 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 26,796.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,657,332 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $386,540,000 after purchasing an additional 1,651,170 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $314,435,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 16.3% in 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 1.6%

NYSE:LOW opened at $221.23 on Thursday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.39 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The stock has a market cap of $123.98 billion, a PE ratio of 18.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $223.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.87.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The firm had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.06 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the subject of several research reports. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $253.00 price target (down previously from $269.00) on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $271.12.

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.