Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Decreases Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. cut its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 78,272 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 349 shares during the quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $19,318,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP now owns 4,101 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,012,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Saxony Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Saxony Capital Management LLC now owns 994 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $245,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,541 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $380,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,012 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,705,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, O Brien Greene & Co. Inc grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 2,896 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.6 %

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $225.85 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $249.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $258.48. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $211.80 and a twelve month high of $287.01. The company has a market capitalization of $127.53 billion, a PE ratio of 18.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The company had revenue of $18.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.29 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America cut their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.83.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.