Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Bought by HM Payson & Co.

HM Payson & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 215,651 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,322 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $58,409,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Stephens Consulting LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% in the 2nd quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 118.6% during the third quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Tsfg LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 128.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 178 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.4 %

Lowe’s Companies stock traded up $1.02 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $262.41. 79,299 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,433,267. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.77 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The firm has a market cap of $149.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.01, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $262.14 and a 200 day moving average of $240.45.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.56 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $323.00 target price on the stock. Oppenheimer upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $230.00 to $305.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $230.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. StockNews.com raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $272.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $271.60.

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.