Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Raymond James & Associates

Raymond James & Associates lessened its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.8% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 756,977 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 14,027 shares during the quarter. Raymond James & Associates’ holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $192,825,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LOW. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter worth $26,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Monday, March 4th. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $199.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.52.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

LOW stock traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $229.87. 2,001,196 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,110,073. The company has a market cap of $131.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.13. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $181.85 and a 1-year high of $262.49. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $239.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $219.94.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.28 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be issued a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 33.43%.

Lowe’s Companies Profile

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.