Appleton Partners Inc. MA Sells 245 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Appleton Partners Inc. MA lowered its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 6.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,615 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 245 shares during the quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $979,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Annex Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,587 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $353,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. 1832 Asset Management L.P. increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 107.9% during the fourth quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 447 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1,075.1% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 81,949 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $18,238,000 after acquiring an additional 74,975 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,413,051 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $314,475,000 after buying an additional 12,919 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morningstar Investment Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 87.7% during the fourth quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 6,657 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,484,000 after acquiring an additional 3,111 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the business’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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was 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 directly owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at $3,586,940.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 value of $1,684,262.58. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

NYSE LOW opened at $270.30 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $154.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.71, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $249.04 and a 200 day moving average of $236.96. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $181.85 and a one year high of $274.16.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The firm’s revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.56 earnings per share. On average, equities 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. This is an increase 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 presently 36.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $230.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Bank of America decreased 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. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.54.

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.