Wambolt & Associates LLC Sells 919 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Wambolt & Associates LLC lessened its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 22.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,232 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 919 shares during the quarter. Wambolt & Associates LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $798,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter worth $27,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 56.4% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $233.01 on Tuesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $211.80 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $247.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $257.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $131.57 billion, a PE ratio of 19.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BNP Paribas raised shares of Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $296.00 to $269.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.71.

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.