Verity & Verity LLC Sells 265 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Verity & Verity LLC lowered its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 32,326 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 265 shares during the period. Verity & Verity LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $7,978,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Virtu Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 3,296 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $727,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.7% in the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 17,829 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,931,000 after buying an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% in the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,503 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,300,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the period. Trust Investment Advisors grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 4,422 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $975,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 64,690 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $14,262,000 after acquiring an additional 3,769 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.85.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies 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 transaction of $1,974,915.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,703 shares in the company, valued at $4,582,802.11. This represents a 30.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 1.0 %

LOW opened at $261.39 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.80, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $260.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $253.98. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $209.55 and a 12-month high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.37%.

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.