Breed s Hill Capital LLC Increases Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Breed s Hill Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 58.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,614 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 596 shares during the quarter. Breed s Hill Capital LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $398,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LOW. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 39 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. 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. Gen Wealth Partners Inc raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc now owns 2,163 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $534,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Cordatus Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,012 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,705,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

LOW stock opened at $223.74 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.39 and a 52-week high of $287.01. The company has a 50-day moving average of $224.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $245.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.88 by $0.04. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The company had revenue of $20.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.06 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on LOW shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $253.00 price target (down from $269.00) on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $271.52.

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.