Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW Shares Bought by National Pension Service

National Pension Service lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,286,782 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,686 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned about 0.23% of Lowe’s Companies worth $323,381,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in LOW. Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 78.5% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 116 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Solstein Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 627.8% in the 2nd quarter. Solstein Capital LLC now owns 131 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Traub Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 128.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 135 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during 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 research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $320.00 to $315.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 5th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Truist Financial set a $295.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Friday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $284.81.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 18,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 231,043 shares in the company, valued at $60,341,500.31. This trade represents a 7.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE:LOW opened at $266.93 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $253.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $247.66. The stock has a market cap of $149.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.13, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.96. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.38 and a 1-year high of $281.36.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $20.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.88 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 55.86% and a net margin of 8.05%.The company’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 21st will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 21st. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

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.