Austin Private Wealth LLC Invests $219,000 in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Austin Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 985 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $219,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,461,267,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 107,710.7% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,080,039 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,012,147,000 after acquiring an additional 5,075,327 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 187,225.6% during the third quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,111,159 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $438,783,000 after acquiring an additional 2,110,032 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 21.3% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,690,606 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,329,237,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 189.5% in the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,798,268 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $581,592,000 after purchasing an additional 1,831,727 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $199.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday. Wedbush raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $251.60.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.6 %

LOW stock traded up $1.40 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $254.73. The stock had a trading volume of 2,621,825 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,604,700. The stock has a market capitalization of $145.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.36, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.13. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $181.85 and a 1-year high of $262.49. The company has a fifty day moving average of $232.18 and a 200 day moving average of $215.99.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.94% and a negative return on equity of 51.42%. The company had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.28 EPS. Lowe’s Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.73%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.43%.

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.