Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lowered its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 7.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 481,816 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 39,870 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.08% of Lowe’s Companies worth $107,245,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 187,225.6% in the third 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 purchasing an additional 2,110,032 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth $430,090,000. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 189.5% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 143.8% during the third quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 1,361,716 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $283,019,000 after buying an additional 803,216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter worth $144,530,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $229.87. 2,001,196 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,110,073. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $239.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $219.82. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $181.85 and a one year high of $262.49. The company has a market cap of $131.53 billion, a PE ratio of 17.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.13.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 51.42% and a net margin of 8.94%. The business had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.28 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 33.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on LOW. Gordon Haskett restated a “hold” rating and issued a $245.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Zelman & Associates restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $265.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $238.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.52.

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.