Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Has $17.42 Million Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 78,280 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 1,866 shares during the period. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $17,421,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,930,693 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,271,836,000 after acquiring an additional 116,855 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,138,824 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,483,733,000 after buying an additional 78,901 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 189.5% during the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,798,268 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $581,592,000 after buying an additional 1,831,727 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 187,225.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,111,159 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $438,783,000 after buying an additional 2,110,032 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $430,090,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE LOW traded up $1.07 on Monday, reaching $230.94. The stock had a trading volume of 1,527,274 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,495,312. The company has a market cap of $132.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.13. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $239.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $219.94. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the company posted $2.28 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue was down 17.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be paid a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $238.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $199.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $203.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.52.

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.