John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Purchases Shares of 22,375 Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 22,375 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,980,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Hamilton Capital LLC raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC now owns 2,439 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $507,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Abundance Wealth Counselors increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 6,671 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 9,013 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,006,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Thomasville National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Thomasville National Bank now owns 11,803 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,627,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Stonegate Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC now owns 10,338 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,301,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.6 %

LOW stock traded up $1.45 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $230.24. The stock had a trading volume of 2,109,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,538,251. The firm has a market capitalization of $131.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.13. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $181.85 and a 52 week high of $262.49. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $239.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $218.46.

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

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.91%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on LOW. StockNews.com downgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $199.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. UBS Group increased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $203.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $252.52.

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.