Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Raises Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 36,775 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,008 shares during the quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $9,242,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 78.5% during the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 116 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Solstein Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 627.8% in the second quarter. Solstein Capital LLC now owns 131 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 128.8% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 135 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 18,000 shares of the company’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 value of $4,701,060.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 231,043 shares in the company, valued at $60,341,500.31. This represents a 7.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LOW. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Evercore lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Barclays raised Lowe’s Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $285.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, HSBC reduced their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $263.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $284.77.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $286.97 on Thursday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.38 and a 12 month high of $287.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $160.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.80, a P/E/G ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $259.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $250.94.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 8.05% and a negative return on equity of 55.86%. The company had revenue of $20.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.88 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.89 EPS. Lowe’s Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 21st. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Lowe’s Companies Company 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.