MFA Wealth Advisors LLC Takes Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 809 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $206,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on LOW. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $255.00 to $250.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $238.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Zelman & Associates reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $251.33.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE LOW traded down $3.75 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $217.38. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,636,277 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,447,451. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $181.85 and a 52-week high of $262.49. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $237.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $224.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $124.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.15.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.12. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.46% and a negative return on equity of 48.52%. The firm had revenue of $21.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.67 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th were paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.34%.

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.