Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Harbor Investment Advisory LLC

Harbor Investment Advisory LLC decreased its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 9,692 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 218 shares during the quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,625,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Stephens Consulting LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% in the second quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW traded down $2.45 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $267.76. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,245,752 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,478,539. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $181.85 and a 1-year high of $274.16. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $249.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $237.13. The firm has a market cap of $152.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.56 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be given a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.72%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LOW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Gordon Haskett reduced their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Oppenheimer raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.54.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,586,940.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.