J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Sells 11,361 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lessened its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 132,661 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 11,361 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $33,339,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the second quarter worth about $1,773,624,000. Tableaux LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $282,884,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 22,167.5% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,032,319 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $229,041,000 after buying an additional 1,027,683 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 243.2% in the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 1,116,945 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $247,817,000 after buying an additional 791,526 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 101.4% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,244,941 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $312,866,000 after buying an additional 626,829 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Barclays raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $285.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.65.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lowe’s Companies news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 18,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.17, for a total transaction of $4,701,060.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 231,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $60,341,500.31. This represents a 7.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of LOW opened at $277.81 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $250.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $246.71. The stock has a market cap of $155.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.04, a P/E/G ratio of 4.59 and a beta of 0.96. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.38 and a 12 month high of $281.36.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 55.86% and a net margin of 8.05%.The firm had revenue of $20.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.88 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.89 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 21st. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.80%.

Lowe’s Companies Company Profile

Lowe’s Companies, Inc is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and digital channels serving both do-it-yourself homeowners and professional contractors. The company offers a broad assortment of products including building materials, lumber, appliances, tools and hardware, plumbing and electrical supplies, paint, flooring, kitchen and bath fixtures, outdoor and garden products, and home decor. Lowe’s also provides a range of services such as installation, home improvement financing, tool and equipment rental, and contractor-focused sales programs.

Operations are centered on a nationwide brick-and-mortar store network supported by distribution centers and an e-commerce platform that enables online ordering, delivery and in-store pickup.