Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC Lowers Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,320 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 138 shares during the quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,807,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,842,954,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $314,435,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 24,531.0% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,228,102 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $303,096,000 after buying an additional 1,223,116 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 60.1% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,603,305 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $642,730,000 after buying an additional 976,823 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 42,529.8% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 846,202 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $208,843,000 after acquiring an additional 844,217 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LOW shares. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $278.74.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $214.55 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $234.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $253.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $120.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.89, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.07. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.39 and a 12 month high of $287.01.

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

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.67%.

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.