Harfst & Associates Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Harfst & Associates Inc. lessened its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 28.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,705 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 690 shares during the period. Harfst & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $462,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 424,382 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $114,944,000 after buying an additional 5,832 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter worth about $542,000. Alpha Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter valued at about $215,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 20.1% during the 3rd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 5,099 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,381,000 after purchasing an additional 854 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 774,555 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $209,788,000 after purchasing an additional 3,249 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of Lowe’s Companies 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,586,940.30. 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 company insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE LOW traded up $0.33 on Friday, reaching $281.64. 2,031,301 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,450,833. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $181.85 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The company has a market cap of $160.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $257.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $238.81.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued 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 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.56 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LOW. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $290.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $268.42.

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.