Arkadios Wealth Advisors Grows Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 124.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,774 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,953 shares during the quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $4,612,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter valued at $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the first quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 60.0% in the first quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price target on Lowe’s Companies and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $271.12.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $227.49 on Thursday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.38 and a 52 week high of $287.01. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $222.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $232.09. The firm has a market cap of $127.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.90.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.22% and a negative return on equity of 49.12%. The firm had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.06 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 23rd. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 39.77%.

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.