Clarius Group LLC Has $1.33 Million Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Clarius Group LLC lowered its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,711 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 151 shares during the quarter. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,332,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 119.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 31,965 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $7,889,000 after buying an additional 17,413 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 10,936 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,699,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 32.6% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 14,708 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,795,000 after purchasing an additional 3,616 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 5,940 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,466,000 after purchasing an additional 954 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $211.91 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $223.65 and a 200-day moving average of $239.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $118.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.56, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.92. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.39 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%. The firm 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 firm posted $3.06 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 23rd. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 38.11%.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LOW. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on 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. Mizuho reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $280.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Friday, June 13th. BNP Paribas upgraded Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, KeyCorp raised Lowe’s Companies from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $266.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $271.12.

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.