Norway Savings Bank Grows Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Norway Savings Bank boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 8,874 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 161 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies accounts for 1.2% of Norway Savings Bank’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Norway Savings Bank’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,190,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% during 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 period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1,889.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,134,969 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $578,256,000 after purchasing an additional 2,027,668 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 20,275.6% during the 2nd quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,205,014 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,657,000 after purchasing an additional 1,199,100 shares during the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 387.7% in the 3rd quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 811,374 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $219,761,000 after buying an additional 645,017 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 170.5% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 735,633 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $162,178,000 after buying an additional 463,645 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total value of $1,974,915.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,582,802.11. This represents a 30.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE:LOW traded down $2.55 on Tuesday, hitting $247.19. The stock had a trading volume of 968,350 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,028,700. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $262.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $252.84. The stock has a market cap of $139.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.11. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $209.55 and a 52-week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.85.

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.