Sapient Capital LLC Boosts Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Sapient Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,989 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $985,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pineridge Advisors LLC increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 37.1% during the fourth quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC now owns 554 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $137,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 45.7% during the fourth quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 1,059 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $261,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 12,731 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,142,000 after acquiring an additional 1,682 shares during the last quarter. Bristlecone Advisors LLC increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Bristlecone Advisors LLC now owns 1,463 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $361,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Regents Gate Capital LLP purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $2,923,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

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

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $257.09 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $256.93 and a 200 day moving average of $258.26. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $211.80 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The firm has a market cap of $145.17 billion, a PE ratio of 21.44, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.11.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 22nd were paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 38.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $291.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $282.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.88.

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.