Montag A & Associates Inc. Increases Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Montag A & Associates Inc. grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,253,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 85.4% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 152 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter worth $40,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 1.8 %

Lowe’s Companies stock traded up $4.13 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $236.20. 1,651,555 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,436,139. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $181.85 and a 12 month high of $262.49. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $239.86 and its 200-day moving average is $221.76. The stock has a market cap of $135.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.95, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.15.

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

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th were issued a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 33.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LOW shares. Citigroup lowered their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $243.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Zelman & Associates reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price objective for the company. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.67.

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.