CCM Investment Advisers LLC Has $567,000 Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

CCM Investment Advisers LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 8.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,430 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 235 shares during the period. CCM Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $567,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP now owns 4,101 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Gen Wealth Partners Inc lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $534,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $3,705,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, FFT Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. FFT Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,377 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $340,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $223.35 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $125.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.92. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.39 and a 52 week high of $287.01. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $223.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $240.51.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.06 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LOW. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $244.00 to $242.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $263.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $271.12.

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.