Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Buys 2,132 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 214,168 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,132 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $58,007,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 10.3% during the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 145,725 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $39,470,000 after buying an additional 13,595 shares during the period. National Pension Service lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 12.5% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,137,934 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $308,209,000 after purchasing an additional 126,138 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 219.4% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 458,343 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $124,142,000 after purchasing an additional 314,861 shares during the last quarter. Fort L.P. purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter valued at about $239,000. Finally, BSW Wealth Partners lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 27.9% during the third quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 2,211 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LOW. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Loop Capital raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $250.00 to $300.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Oppenheimer raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $230.00 to $305.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $323.00 target price on the stock. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $271.60.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock traded up $2.08 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $264.02. 120,543 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,435,087. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $262.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $241.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $189.05 and a one year high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.56 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 38.14%.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,586,940.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.