Pitcairn Co. Sells 2,272 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Pitcairn Co. trimmed its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,478 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 2,272 shares during the quarter. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $6,088,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bamco Inc. NY increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.3% in the 1st quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 216,958 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $55,266,000 after acquiring an additional 20,181 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 655.9% in the first quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 6,304 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,606,000 after buying an additional 5,470 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% in the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 215,651 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $58,409,000 after buying an additional 2,322 shares during the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 12.7% in the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 25,569 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $5,637,000 after buying an additional 2,889 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 14.4% in the third quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 159,742 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $43,290,000 after buying an additional 20,123 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at $2,334,678.06. This represents a 41.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the company’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 value of $1,555,408.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 30.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $264.63 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.23 and a 12-month high of $287.01. The company has a market cap of $150.12 billion, a PE ratio of 22.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $268.74 and a 200 day moving average of $244.73.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.56 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 23rd. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on LOW shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $277.92.

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.