Margrethe R. Vagell Sells 5,730 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Stock

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock traded down $1.56 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $270.30. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,634,303 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,479,759. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $181.85 and a 12-month high of $274.16. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $248.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $236.73. The company has a market cap of $154.03 billion, a PE ratio of 21.84, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.56 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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 disclosed 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. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.95%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LOW. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 53,693,630 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $13,677,378,000 after acquiring an additional 2,674,372 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 20,275.6% in the second quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,205,014 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,657,000 after purchasing an additional 1,199,100 shares during the last quarter. M&G Plc purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter valued at $217,995,000. Pathstone Holdings LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $126,615,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 36.6% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,840,704 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $468,884,000 after buying an additional 493,180 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LOW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Melius Research initiated coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $290.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $272.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $230.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $263.54.

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.