Metis Global Partners LLC Sells 2,349 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Metis Global Partners LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 8.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 27,051 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 2,349 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $6,020,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,930,693 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,271,836,000 after purchasing an additional 116,855 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,138,824 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,483,733,000 after purchasing an additional 78,901 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 189.5% during the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,798,268 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $581,592,000 after purchasing an additional 1,831,727 shares during the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 187,225.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,111,159 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $438,783,000 after purchasing an additional 2,110,032 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $430,090,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on LOW. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Gordon Haskett reissued a “hold” rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Robert W. Baird raised Lowe’s Companies from an “average” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 target price for the company. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.52.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 1.1 %

Lowe’s Companies stock traded up $2.55 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $232.13. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,834,728 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,044,726. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $181.85 and a 52 week high of $262.49. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $240.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $221.10. The stock has a market cap of $132.82 billion, a PE ratio of 17.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.15.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.43%.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.