Kapstone Financial Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Kapstone Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 8.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,361 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the quarter. Kapstone Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $289,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,930,693 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,271,836,000 after buying an additional 116,855 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,138,824 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,483,733,000 after buying an additional 78,901 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 189.5% in the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,798,268 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $581,592,000 after buying an additional 1,831,727 shares during the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 187,225.6% in the third quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,111,159 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $438,783,000 after buying an additional 2,110,032 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $430,090,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

NYSE LOW traded down $0.09 on Friday, reaching $229.87. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,001,196 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,110,073. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $181.85 and a twelve month high of $262.49. The stock has a market cap of $131.53 billion, a PE ratio of 17.47, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.13. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $239.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $219.82.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.94% and a negative return on equity of 51.42%. The company had revenue of $18.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.28 EPS. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate 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 1.91%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 33.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on LOW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $190.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 target price for the company. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Gordon Haskett reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $252.52.

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.