Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR Raises Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR raised its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 31,358 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,115 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies makes up about 2.1% of Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $6,979,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 85.4% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 152 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

LOW stock traded up $4.06 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $236.13. 1,615,661 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,431,708. The firm has a market cap of $135.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.15. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $240.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $221.68. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company 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 company earned $2.28 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 17.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th were issued a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LOW. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 16th. Robert W. Baird raised Lowe’s Companies from an “average” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. UBS Group raised their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Mizuho began coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $258.00 to $271.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $252.67.

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.