Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW Shares Sold by Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 151,640 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 2,810 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $38,109,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. SPC Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $208,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 9.3% in the third quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 14,386 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,588,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares in the last quarter. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.3% during the third quarter. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH now owns 2,170 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $545,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% during the third quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. now owns 38,107 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $9,577,000 after purchasing an additional 1,454 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 55.4% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 9,647 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,444,000 after purchasing an additional 3,441 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LOW shares. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $325.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Gordon Haskett upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $325.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. DA Davidson reduced their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $266.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Barclays upgraded Lowe’s Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $284.77.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 18,000 shares of the business’s 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 in the company, 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 SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of LOW opened at $278.02 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $155.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.05, a PEG ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a 50-day moving average of $257.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $249.92. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $206.38 and a one year high of $281.36.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 55.86% and a net margin of 8.05%.The business had revenue of $20.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.88 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.89 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

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

About Lowe’s Companies

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.