Empirical Finance LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Empirical Finance LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 20,676 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 348 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $5,103,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. FMR LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% during 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 in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% in 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. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,733,461 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,169,041,000 after acquiring an additional 187,473 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,369,052 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $912,508,000 after acquiring an additional 39,953 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,343,365 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $634,700,000 after acquiring an additional 36,054 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total value of $1,974,915.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,703 shares in the company, valued at $4,582,802.11. The trade was a 30.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $282.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.85.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $252.17 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $142.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.03, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $257.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $257.78. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $211.80 and a 52-week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd were issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 38.37%.

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.