Epic Trust Investment Advisors LLC Sells 235 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Epic Trust Investment Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,539 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 235 shares during the period. Epic Trust Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $343,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LOW. Private Management Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 1,205 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,590 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $576,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Hamilton Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC now owns 2,439 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $507,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Abundance Wealth Counselors grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 6,671 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 9,013 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,006,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LOW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Gordon Haskett restated a “hold” rating and issued a $245.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. UBS Group upped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Zelman & Associates restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Mizuho initiated coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.52.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Lowe’s Companies stock traded down $2.95 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $227.99. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,364,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,478,019. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $240.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $220.18. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $181.85 and a 52-week high of $262.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $130.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.55, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.13.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 51.42% and a net margin of 8.94%. The firm had revenue of $18.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.28 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, 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. Stockholders 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 1.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 33.43%.

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.