FineMark National Bank & Trust Decreases Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

FineMark National Bank & Trust decreased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 50,069 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 663 shares during the period. FineMark National Bank & Trust’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $12,357,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. United Bank increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.4% in the third quarter. United Bank now owns 10,099 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,735,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,824 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,748,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares during the last quarter. Cahill Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. Cahill Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,575 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $427,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $221,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.4% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 72,920 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $19,750,000 after purchasing an additional 6,870 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of LOW opened at $233.01 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $131.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $247.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $257.80. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $211.80 and a 52 week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its 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. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.97%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on LOW. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Mizuho cut their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.71.

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.