Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Acquired by Altavista Wealth Management Inc.

Altavista Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW – Get Rating) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,424 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 340 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies comprises approximately 2.3% of Altavista Wealth Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Altavista Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $11,483,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Camden National Bank boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 17.1% during the 4th quarter. Camden National Bank now owns 2,291 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 3.7% during the second quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,670,692 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,099,945,000 after buying an additional 201,647 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 52.6% during the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,418 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $491,000 after buying an additional 833 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 0.5% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 9,970 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,022,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 25.8% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,427,014 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $289,484,000 after purchasing an additional 292,857 shares during the last quarter. 75.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NYSE LOW traded up $2.59 during trading on Friday, hitting $198.12. 102,683 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,204,345. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $179.22 and a 12 month high of $263.31. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $202.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $226.42. The company has a market capitalization of $130.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.94, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.25.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 18th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.29. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 251.50% and a net margin of 8.85%. The business had revenue of $23.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.72 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 13.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 20th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.12%. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 26.08%.

A number of analysts have commented on LOW shares. Guggenheim decreased their target price on Lowe’s Companies to $240.00 in a research report on Friday, May 20th. OTR Global lowered Lowe’s Companies to a “positive” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 10th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 24th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, February 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies to $246.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.84.

About Lowe’s Companies (Get Rating)

Lowe's Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a home improvement retailer in the United States and internationally. The company offers a line of products for construction, maintenance, repair, remodeling, and decorating. It 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, lighting, and electrical.

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