Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC Lowers Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,008 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 55 shares during the quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $989,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $7,045,006,000 after acquiring an additional 2,399,897 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,013,655 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $6,774,948,000 after purchasing an additional 460,851 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,733,461 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,169,041,000 after purchasing an additional 187,473 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,369,052 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $912,508,000 after purchasing an additional 39,953 shares during the period. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,343,365 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $634,700,000 after purchasing an additional 36,054 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of Lowe’s Companies 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,703 shares in the company, valued at $4,582,802.11. This trade represents a 30.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on LOW shares. DA Davidson boosted their price objective 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. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.85.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $252.17 on Monday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $211.80 and a one year high of $287.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $142.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.03, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $257.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $257.92.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd were paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.37%.

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.