Vest Financial LLC Sells 3,679 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Vest Financial LLC trimmed its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 211,656 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 3,679 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $52,237,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $7,045,006,000 after buying an additional 2,399,897 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,013,655 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $6,774,948,000 after acquiring an additional 460,851 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,733,461 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,169,041,000 after purchasing an additional 187,473 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,369,052 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $912,508,000 after purchasing an additional 39,953 shares during the period. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,343,365 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $634,700,000 after purchasing an additional 36,054 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LOW. StockNews.com raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $310.00 to $307.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America raised their price objective 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, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.85.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $252.17 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $142.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.03, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $257.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $257.70. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $211.80 and a 1 year high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 22nd were issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 38.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total value of $1,974,915.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,582,802.11. This represents a 30.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies 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.