Eagle Ridge Investment Management Sells 3,984 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Eagle Ridge Investment Management lessened its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 20.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,797 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 3,984 shares during the period. Eagle Ridge Investment Management’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $3,516,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LOW. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 187,225.6% during the third quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,111,159 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $438,783,000 after buying an additional 2,110,032 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $430,090,000. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 189.5% in the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,798,268 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $581,592,000 after purchasing an additional 1,831,727 shares in the last quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 143.8% in the third quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 1,361,716 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $283,019,000 after purchasing an additional 803,216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter valued at $144,530,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

LOW traded up $1.07 during trading on Monday, hitting $230.94. The stock had a trading volume of 807,295 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,486,089. The company has a market capitalization of $132.14 billion, a PE ratio of 17.47, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.13. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $181.85 and a twelve month high of $262.49. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $239.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $219.94.

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

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on LOW. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $190.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $252.52.

Lowe’s Companies Company 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.