Financial Insights Inc. Invests $226,000 in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Financial Insights Inc. bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 833 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $226,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. now owns 7,940 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,122,000 after purchasing an additional 449 shares in the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 8,183 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,216,000 after purchasing an additional 1,164 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $37,388,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 18.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 33,866 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $9,173,000 after purchasing an additional 5,287 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sky Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $217,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $323.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Bank of America lifted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $230.00 to $305.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $270.60.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 1.7 %

LOW opened at $272.22 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $259.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $239.26. The company has a market cap of $155.12 billion, a PE ratio of 21.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $181.85 and a 52 week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. The firm’s revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.56 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 36.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the business’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 transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the business’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 transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at $2,334,678.06. The trade was 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 insiders.

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.