1,125 Shares in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Purchased by Ground Swell Capital LLC

Ground Swell Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,125 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $278,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,842,954,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 350.2% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,373,460 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $585,770,000 after buying an additional 1,846,315 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $314,435,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 24,531.0% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,228,102 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $303,096,000 after acquiring an additional 1,223,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,745,960,000 after acquiring an additional 993,833 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.04.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE LOW opened at $222.17 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $225.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $247.19. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.39 and a 52-week high of $287.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $124.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $18.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.29 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.07%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.67%.

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.