Helen Stephens Group LLC Sells 62 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Helen Stephens Group LLC cut its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,384 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 62 shares during the period. Helen Stephens Group LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $375,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the first quarter valued at $35,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Stephens Consulting LLC lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% during the second quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $272.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note 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 on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $230.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.54.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE:LOW opened at $273.27 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $250.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $237.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $155.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.95, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $181.85 and a one year high of $274.26.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion for 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 business’s revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.56 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business 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 1.68%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 36.95%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at $3,586,940.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

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.