Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW Stake Boosted by Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 213,045 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $53,540,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 0.7% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 54,976,355 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $12,197,604,000 after buying an additional 366,977 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.8% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,911,775 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $5,527,176,000 after acquiring an additional 207,826 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,351,783 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,732,049,000 after acquiring an additional 42,190 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,773,624,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,536,122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $784,559,000 after purchasing an additional 34,382 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lowe’s Companies news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 18,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.17, for a total value of $4,701,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 231,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $60,341,500.31. This represents a 7.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $282.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Wall Street Zen raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Argus reduced their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $286.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.65.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $276.46 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $155.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.92, a PEG ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 0.96. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.38 and a 12 month high of $281.36. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $249.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $246.05.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 55.86% and a net margin of 8.05%.The company had revenue of $20.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.88 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 21st. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 39.80%.

Lowe’s Companies Company Profile

Lowe’s Companies, Inc is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and digital channels serving both do-it-yourself homeowners and professional contractors. The company offers a broad assortment of products including building materials, lumber, appliances, tools and hardware, plumbing and electrical supplies, paint, flooring, kitchen and bath fixtures, outdoor and garden products, and home decor. Lowe’s also provides a range of services such as installation, home improvement financing, tool and equipment rental, and contractor-focused sales programs.

Operations are centered on a nationwide brick-and-mortar store network supported by distribution centers and an e-commerce platform that enables online ordering, delivery and in-store pickup.