Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 18.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 33,866 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 5,287 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $9,173,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Sky Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter worth about $217,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 6,346 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,719,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares during the last quarter. Maple Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $211,000. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 307.0% during the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 26,482 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $7,173,000 after purchasing an additional 19,976 shares during the period. Finally, Community Financial Services Group LLC increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 18,075 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,896,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 1.7 %

LOW stock opened at $272.22 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $155.12 billion, a PE ratio of 21.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $181.85 and a 12-month high of $287.01. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $259.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $239.26.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. The firm 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 company’s revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.56 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 36.95%.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Lowe’s Companies news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on LOW shares. Bank of America boosted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Oppenheimer upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $305.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Melius Research started coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $290.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $323.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $270.60.

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.