Mizuho Securities USA LLC Has $13.27 Million Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 45.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 53,767 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 16,816 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $13,270,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Virtu Financial LLC raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 28.4% during the 4th quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 7,028 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,734,000 after buying an additional 1,554 shares during the period. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $411,000. Antonelli Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $441,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 33,169 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $8,186,000 after purchasing an additional 1,613 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $227.09 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $247.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $257.70. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $211.80 and a 12-month high of $287.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The firm had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.29 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com downgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $308.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.83.

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.