Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Auxier Asset Management

Auxier Asset Management lessened its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 38,201 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 654 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies comprises approximately 1.5% of Auxier Asset Management’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Auxier Asset Management’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $9,428,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 19,830 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,894,000 after buying an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 106,305 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $26,236,000 after acquiring an additional 13,092 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 26,329 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $6,498,000 after acquiring an additional 2,615 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 472,838 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $116,696,000 after purchasing an additional 7,187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,745,960,000 after purchasing an additional 993,833 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LOW has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America lowered their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. 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 report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $271.52.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE:LOW opened at $221.08 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $123.74 billion, a PE ratio of 18.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.39 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $224.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $244.68.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 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 firm had revenue of $20.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.06 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were paid a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 37.67%.

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.