True North Advisors LLC Purchases Shares of 1,233 Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

True North Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,233 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $334,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Stephens Consulting LLC grew 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the second quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $277.00 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $250.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $237.11. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $181.85 and a 1 year high of $277.00. The company has a market capitalization of $157.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 EPS 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 analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.56 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 36.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Gordon Haskett lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $230.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $265.63.

Lowe’s Companies Company 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.