Nicolet Advisory Services LLC Grows Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,446 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 175 shares during the quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $931,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1,889.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,134,969 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $578,256,000 after purchasing an additional 2,027,668 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 20,275.6% in the 2nd quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,205,014 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,657,000 after purchasing an additional 1,199,100 shares during the period. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 387.7% during the third quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 811,374 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $219,761,000 after buying an additional 645,017 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 36.6% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,840,704 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $468,884,000 after buying an additional 493,180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 170.5% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 735,633 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $162,178,000 after buying an additional 463,645 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LOW shares. Gordon Haskett decreased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Bank of America increased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Melius Research started coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $290.00 price objective on the stock. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $277.92.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

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 shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at $2,334,678.06. The trade was a 41.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 30.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:LOW opened at $264.63 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.23 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $268.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $244.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $150.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.07, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The business had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.56 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.37%.

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.