Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Ameritas Investment Partners Inc.

Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lessened its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,769 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 202 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $3,036,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Stephens Consulting LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% in the second quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $253.33.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $260.14 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $148.24 billion, a PE ratio of 20.89, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $181.85 and a one year high of $262.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $243.58 and a 200 day moving average of $235.36.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.56 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be paid a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.77%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 36.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.