Hartford Funds Management Co LLC Buys 116 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Hartford Funds Management Co LLC lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,941 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies comprises about 0.1% of Hartford Funds Management Co LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,338,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 36.6% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,840,704 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $468,884,000 after buying an additional 493,180 shares during the last quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 56.1% during the first quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,642 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,182,000 after acquiring an additional 1,669 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 4.3% during the first quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 3,596 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $916,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 18.3% during the first quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 724,325 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $184,507,000 after purchasing an additional 111,930 shares during the period. Finally, Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 15.4% in the 1st quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 46,509 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $11,847,000 after purchasing an additional 6,212 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the firm’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 directly owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 30.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 41.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on LOW shares. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $230.00 to $305.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Gordon Haskett decreased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $277.92.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW opened at $264.68 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $150.15 billion, a PE ratio of 22.08, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $268.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $244.83. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.23 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 23rd. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.37%.

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.