Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Buys 1,353 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.3% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 59,049 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,353 shares during the quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $13,018,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. 9258 Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 24.8% in the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,387 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,441 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. One Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. One Capital Management LLC now owns 4,032 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $897,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 52,162 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $11,609,000 after acquiring an additional 2,264 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 28,818 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $6,413,000 after acquiring an additional 2,304 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of LOW opened at $244.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $138.76 billion, a PE ratio of 19.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $237.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $234.30. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $181.85 and a 1-year high of $262.49.

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

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 36.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on LOW shares. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.83.

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.