Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Institute for Wealth Management LLC.

Institute for Wealth Management LLC. lessened its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,672 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 61 shares during the period. Institute for Wealth Management LLC.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,153,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,461,267,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 107,710.7% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,080,039 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,012,147,000 after purchasing an additional 5,075,327 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 187,225.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,111,159 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $438,783,000 after purchasing an additional 2,110,032 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 21.3% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,690,606 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,329,237,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $430,090,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on LOW shares. Zelman & Associates reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from an “average” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $199.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Gordon Haskett reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $245.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $252.52.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW traded up $0.59 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $229.38. 1,342,403 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,535,643. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $181.85 and a 1-year high of $262.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $131.25 billion, a PE ratio of 17.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.13. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $239.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $218.46.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $18.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.94% and a negative return on equity of 51.42%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 17.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 33.43%.

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.