Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Wealth Advisory Solutions LLC

Wealth Advisory Solutions LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 17.2% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,931 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 401 shares during the quarter. Wealth Advisory Solutions LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $523,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Clean Yield Group boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2.4% in the third quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 1,599 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,894 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $418,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Chapin Davis Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.3% in the third quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 3,082 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $835,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% during the third quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. now owns 12,846 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,479,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, Crown Wealth Group LLC raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 4.4% during the second quarter. Crown Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $232,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $230.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $268.42.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW traded down $3.63 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $278.01. 362,117 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,440,545. The stock has a market cap of $158.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $181.85 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $257.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $238.75.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly 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 analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.56 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. This is a boost 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 is 36.95%.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

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

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.