D.A. Davidson & CO. Increases Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 138,783 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,234 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $37,589,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LOW. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $7,045,006,000 after buying an additional 2,399,897 shares during the last quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 17.9% in the third quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 41,406 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $11,215,000 after acquiring an additional 6,296 shares in the last quarter. Diversified LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% in the third quarter. Diversified LLC now owns 1,799 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $487,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.9% during the third quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 1,036 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.2% during the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 28,956 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $7,843,000 after purchasing an additional 625 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 4.0 %

Shares of LOW opened at $275.33 on Tuesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.32 and a twelve month high of $287.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $156.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.96, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $269.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $245.19.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.67%. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.37%.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at $2,334,678.06. The trade was a 41.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were 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 owns 13,214 shares in the company, 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. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $306.00 to $301.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.