Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC Has $1.16 Million Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,239 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 139 shares during the period. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,155,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 170.5% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 735,633 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $162,178,000 after purchasing an additional 463,645 shares during the period. Providence Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 106.0% during the second quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 651 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $144,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 12.7% in the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 25,937 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,718,000 after acquiring an additional 2,925 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 478,854 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $105,568,000 after acquiring an additional 23,104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steel Grove Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $252,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at $2,334,678.06. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on LOW shares. StockNews.com raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. 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 report on Wednesday, August 21st. Melius Research assumed coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $290.00 target price for the company. Gordon Haskett decreased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $255.00.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

LOW opened at $262.29 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $244.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $235.47. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $181.85 and a 1 year high of $262.49. The company has a market capitalization of $149.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.56 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.95%.

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.