Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Financial Partners Group LLC

Financial Partners Group LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 4.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,094 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 298 shares during the period. Financial Partners Group LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,552,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,638,746,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $430,090,000. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 189.5% during the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,798,268 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $581,592,000 after purchasing an additional 1,831,727 shares during the last quarter. Canoe Financial LP acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $206,912,000. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $126,615,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on LOW shares. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $243.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $255.00 to $250.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $251.33.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

NYSE LOW opened at $220.46 on Monday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $181.85 and a one year high of $262.49. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $225.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $228.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $125.63 billion, a PE ratio of 17.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.08.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $21.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.14 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.46% and a negative return on equity of 48.52%. Lowe’s Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.67 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.34%.

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.