Webster Bank N. A. Acquires 1,000 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Webster Bank N. A. raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 22.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,532 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the quarter. Webster Bank N. A.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,231,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,223,923 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,693,039,000 after buying an additional 374,457 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 21.3% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,690,606 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,329,237,000 after buying an additional 2,050,089 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,461,267,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,138,824 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,483,733,000 after buying an additional 78,901 shares during the period. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 107,710.7% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,080,039 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,012,147,000 after buying an additional 5,075,327 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW stock opened at $240.71 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $235.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $216.70. The company has a market cap of $137.73 billion, a PE ratio of 18.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.13. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $181.85 and a fifty-two week high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 51.42% and a net margin of 8.94%. The company’s revenue was down 17.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.28 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird upgraded Lowe’s Companies from an “average” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. StockNews.com lowered Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Zelman & Associates reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $190.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Mizuho started coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 target price on the stock. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $252.33.

Lowe’s Companies Company 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.