Choate Investment Advisors Boosts Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Choate Investment Advisors grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,700 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 194 shares during the period. Choate Investment Advisors’ holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $3,875,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP now owns 4,101 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,012,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Saxony Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Saxony Capital Management LLC now owns 994 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Powers Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,541 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $380,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,012 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,705,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, O Brien Greene & Co. Inc raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 2,896 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LOW. BNP Paribas raised Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Barclays lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price 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. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.83.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.9 %

LOW opened at $224.64 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $126.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.74, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $211.80 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $250.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $258.56.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $18.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.29 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

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.