First National Trust Co Lowers Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

First National Trust Co decreased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,495 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 58 shares during the period. First National Trust Co’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,336,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LOW. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 116,855 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,138,824 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,483,733,000 after purchasing an additional 78,901 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 189.5% in the 3rd 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 grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 187,225.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 2,110,032 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $430,090,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on LOW. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report 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 report on Wednesday, February 28th. Gordon Haskett reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Fifteen investment 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $252.52.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW traded up $2.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $232.13. 1,834,728 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,044,726. The stock has a market cap of $132.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $240.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $220.75. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $181.85 and a 1 year high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its 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. The business had revenue of $18.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 period in the previous year, the business earned $2.28 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.43%.

Lowe’s Companies Company 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.