Pacer Advisors Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 42,266 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,175 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $11,448,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,205,491 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,147,603,000 after buying an additional 82,978 shares during the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% in the third quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,343,365 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $634,700,000 after purchasing an additional 36,054 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1,889.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,134,969 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $578,256,000 after purchasing an additional 2,027,668 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 36.6% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,840,704 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $468,884,000 after purchasing an additional 493,180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,617,849 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $356,671,000 after purchasing an additional 90,945 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE:LOW opened at $264.68 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.23 and a 52 week high of $287.01. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $268.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $244.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $150.15 billion, a PE ratio of 22.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on LOW shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Loop Capital raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $250.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $230.00 to $305.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $282.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Ten 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, Lowe’s Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.92.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,334,678.06. The trade was a 41.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 30.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

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.