Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. Sells 131 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. lowered its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,246 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 131 shares during the quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $9,933,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LOW. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 159,742 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $43,290,000 after acquiring an additional 20,123 shares during the period. Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 4.3% in the third quarter. Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. now owns 3,536 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $958,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter worth $83,000. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 16.7% during the third quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 2,952 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $800,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 17.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 6,566 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,763,000 after buying an additional 988 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on LOW. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $291.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.85.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $256.08 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $257.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $257.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.36, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.11. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $211.80 and a 52 week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 22nd were issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 38.37%.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

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

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.