849 Shares in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Acquired by Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC

Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 849 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $232,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. Bamco Inc. NY raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 10.3% during the 1st quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 216,958 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $55,266,000 after acquiring an additional 20,181 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 655.9% during the 1st quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 6,304 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,606,000 after acquiring an additional 5,470 shares during the period. 17 Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,368,000. Gerber LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $235,000. Finally, Lincoln National Corp raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 11,128 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,835,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LOW shares. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $290.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $262.00 to $307.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at $3,586,940.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

LOW stock opened at $275.73 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $157.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.15, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $252.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $237.79. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $181.85 and a 1-year high of $278.10.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The firm’s revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.56 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 36.95%.

Lowe’s Companies Company 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.