Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group Reduces Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group lessened its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 6.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,617 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 390 shares during the quarter. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,238,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 824.6% during the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 15,339 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,414,000 after purchasing an additional 13,680 shares during the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.3% in the first quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 216,958 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $55,266,000 after acquiring an additional 20,181 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 655.9% in the first quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 6,304 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,606,000 after acquiring an additional 5,470 shares during the period. 17 Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter worth about $1,368,000. Finally, Gerber LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $235,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lowe’s Companies news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on LOW. Bank of America dropped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $272.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $260.00.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $272.65 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $155.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $181.85 and a 1-year high of $274.16. The company’s 50-day moving average is $247.52 and its 200 day moving average is $236.48.

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

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

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

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.