First National Trust Co Cuts Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

First National Trust Co decreased its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,495 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 58 shares during the period. First National Trust Co’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,336,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter worth $26,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 85.4% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 152 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

LOW stock traded up $2.55 during trading on Friday, reaching $232.13. 1,834,728 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,044,726. The firm has a market capitalization of $132.82 billion, a PE ratio of 17.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.15. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $240.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $220.75. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $181.85 and a 52-week high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $18.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 51.42% and a net margin of 8.94%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.28 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 33.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on LOW shares. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $258.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Gordon Haskett reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $218.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $252.52.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.