Stonegate Investment Group LLC Purchases 79 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,888 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Stonegate Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,949,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter valued at $35,000. Stephens Consulting LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% during the second quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Tsfg LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 128.2% in the third quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 178 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 54.7% in the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 198 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW traded down $0.36 on Friday, hitting $280.95. 519,175 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,442,867. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $256.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $238.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $160.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $181.85 and a 12 month high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.56 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 1.64%. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Bank of America raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Melius Research began coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $290.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.42.

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.