Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Stake Increased by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 200.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,000 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,481,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter worth $27,000. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. JNBA Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 555.6% in the third quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 118 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 118.6% during the third quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on LOW. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $230.00 to $305.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.85.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE LOW opened at $264.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.11. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $259.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $255.23. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $209.55 and a 1 year high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 38.37%.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total value of $1,974,915.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,582,802.11. This represents a 30.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.