Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Purchased by Lifeworks Advisors LLC

Lifeworks Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 46.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,754 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 553 shares during the quarter. Lifeworks Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $475,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 53,693,630 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $13,677,378,000 after purchasing an additional 2,674,372 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1,889.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,134,969 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $578,256,000 after purchasing an additional 2,027,668 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 20,275.6% during 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. M&G Plc acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $217,995,000. Finally, Applied Finance Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 387.7% during the 3rd quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 811,374 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $219,761,000 after purchasing an additional 645,017 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $270.35 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $266.16 and its 200-day moving average is $243.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $153.37 billion, a PE ratio of 22.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.23 and a 12-month high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.56 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.93 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. 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 payout ratio is presently 38.14%.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the company’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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 30.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $2,334,678.06. The trade was a 41.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $230.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.84.

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.