Sage Investment Counsel LLC Takes $444,000 Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Sage Investment Counsel LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,801 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $444,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of LOW. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $7,045,006,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399,897 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 24,531.0% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,228,102 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $303,096,000 after purchasing an additional 1,223,116 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 42,529.8% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 846,202 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $208,843,000 after purchasing an additional 844,217 shares during the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 387.7% in the 3rd quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 811,374 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $219,761,000 after purchasing an additional 645,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,013,655 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $6,774,948,000 after acquiring an additional 460,851 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on LOW shares. Mizuho decreased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. DA Davidson increased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. StockNews.com raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.83.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

LOW opened at $248.71 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $211.80 and a one year high of $287.01. The company has a market cap of $140.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.74, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.11. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $252.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $258.89.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.