Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. Has $1.24 Million Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. decreased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.6% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,862 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 132 shares during the quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,238,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,638,746,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $430,090,000. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 189.5% in the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,798,268 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $581,592,000 after purchasing an additional 1,831,727 shares in the last quarter. Canoe Financial LP bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $206,912,000. Finally, Aristotle Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 143.8% during the third quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 1,361,716 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $283,019,000 after purchasing an additional 803,216 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $220.46 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $225.32 and a 200-day moving average of $228.26. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $181.85 and a one year high of $262.49. The company has a market cap of $125.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.08.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.94 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $21.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.14 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.46% and a negative return on equity of 48.52%. Lowe’s Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.67 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 24th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.27%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 35.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the subject of several analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, May 21st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Zelman & Associates reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Citigroup decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $243.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $255.00 to $250.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $251.33.

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.