Boston Common Asset Management LLC Buys 2,505 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Boston Common Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 27,738 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,505 shares during the quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $6,971,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,888 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,859,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2.6% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 154,692 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $34,322,000 after acquiring an additional 3,947 shares during the period. First Pacific Financial grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 147.3% in the second quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 2,752 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $611,000 after purchasing an additional 1,639 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.7% in the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 826,356 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $183,344,000 after purchasing an additional 5,820 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 22.0% in the second quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 497,628 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $110,409,000 after purchasing an additional 89,839 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 3.2%

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $277.09 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $155.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.98, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.96. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $206.38 and a one year high of $278.44. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $247.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $245.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.05% and a negative return on equity of 55.86%. The firm had revenue of $20.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.89 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 21st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LOW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $290.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $260.00 to $252.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.65.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lowe’s Companies news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 18,000 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.17, for a total transaction of $4,701,060.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 231,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $60,341,500.31. The trade was a 7.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Profile

Lowe’s Companies, Inc is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and digital channels serving both do-it-yourself homeowners and professional contractors. The company offers a broad assortment of products including building materials, lumber, appliances, tools and hardware, plumbing and electrical supplies, paint, flooring, kitchen and bath fixtures, outdoor and garden products, and home decor. Lowe’s also provides a range of services such as installation, home improvement financing, tool and equipment rental, and contractor-focused sales programs.

Operations are centered on a nationwide brick-and-mortar store network supported by distribution centers and an e-commerce platform that enables online ordering, delivery and in-store pickup.