S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC Acquires 1,805 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 21.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,284 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,805 shares during the quarter. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,620,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,930,693 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,271,836,000 after acquiring an additional 116,855 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,638,746,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,211,131 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $714,637,000 after buying an additional 41,451 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,851,127 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $634,518,000 after buying an additional 52,859 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $430,090,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LOW. Citigroup decreased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $243.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Zelman & Associates reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. 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. Gordon Haskett reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $245.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $251.33.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of LOW stock traded up $0.66 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $220.46. The stock had a trading volume of 12,630,451 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,428,194. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $181.85 and a 12-month high of $262.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $125.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.08. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $225.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $228.26.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $21.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.14 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 48.52% and a net margin of 8.46%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.67 EPS. Analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

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

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.