Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by OLD National Bancorp IN

OLD National Bancorp IN reduced its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW – Get Rating) by 5.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,127 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 951 shares during the period. OLD National Bancorp IN’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,841,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. WINTON GROUP Ltd increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 4,077 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $712,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 3,500 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $707,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 56.0% in the 3rd quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC now owns 142 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.8% during the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,939 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Homestead Advisers Corp raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 25.7% during the second quarter. Homestead Advisers Corp now owns 259 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. 72.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of LOW opened at $213.56 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $205.40 and a 200 day moving average of $199.70. The company has a market capitalization of $132.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.92, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.13. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $170.12 and a 12 month high of $240.71.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 16th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $23.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.16 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 103.72% and a net margin of 6.97%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.73 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 13.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 25th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 24th. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 41.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $230.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, November 17th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $241.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 7th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies to $225.00 in a research report on Monday, December 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $229.12.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Ross W. Mccanless sold 57,629 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.35, for a total transaction of $12,179,889.15. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,690,176.05. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

About Lowe’s Companies

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Lowe’s Cos., Inc engages in the retail sale of home improvement products. The firm offers products for maintenance, repair, remodeling, home decorating and property maintenance. It also provides home improvement products in the following categories: appliances, bathroom, building supply, electrical, flooring, hardware, paint, kitchen, plumbing, lighting & fans, outdoor living, windows and doors.