Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Buys 76,564 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 11.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 725,358 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 76,564 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $182,290,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the second quarter worth about $1,773,624,000. Tableaux LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the second quarter worth about $282,884,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 22,167.5% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,032,319 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $229,041,000 after acquiring an additional 1,027,683 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 243.2% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 1,116,945 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $247,817,000 after buying an additional 791,526 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 101.4% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,244,941 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $312,866,000 after acquiring an additional 626,829 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays raised Lowe’s Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $285.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $296.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Argus lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $286.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $320.00 to $315.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 5th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.65.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of LOW stock opened at $268.45 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $246.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $245.27. The company has a market capitalization of $150.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.26, a P/E/G ratio of 4.60 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.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 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 business had revenue of $20.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.89 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 18,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.17, for a total value of $4,701,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 231,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $60,341,500.31. This trade represents a 7.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by 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.