Metis Global Partners LLC Buys 320 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 23,633 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 320 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $6,401,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Stephens Consulting LLC raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% in the 2nd quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 555.6% in the 3rd quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 118 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 118.6% in the third quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Tsfg LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 128.2% in the third quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 178 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LOW. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $230.00 to $305.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Gordon Haskett lowered their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.84.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 value of $1,555,408.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at $3,586,940.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $272.26 on Thursday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.23 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $266.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $243.06. The firm has a market cap of $154.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. The business had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.56 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were given a $1.15 dividend. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.14%.

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.