Caprock Group LLC Acquires 666 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Caprock Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 11.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,437 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 666 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,433,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 9.8% in the 1st quarter. Axiom Financial Strategies LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $275,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. United Bank boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 6.8% during the first quarter. United Bank now owns 9,734 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,968,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter worth about $1,629,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 256,098 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $51,780,000 after buying an additional 920 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 74.6% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 295 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW traded up $1.40 on Friday, hitting $254.73. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,631,256 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,550,362. The company has a market capitalization of $145.75 billion, a PE ratio of 19.36, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $215.99. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $181.85 and a 1 year high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.94% and a negative return on equity of 51.42%. The business had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.47 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.28 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.73%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 33.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LOW. Mizuho initiated coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $280.00 target price for the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Wedbush raised their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $251.60.

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.