Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC Invests $4.72 Million in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 17,429 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,721,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 20.7% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 62,964 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $16,039,000 after acquiring an additional 10,802 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 110.8% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 74,600 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $19,003,000 after purchasing an additional 39,212 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 99.5% during the first quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 5,748 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,464,000 after purchasing an additional 2,867 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 12.5% in the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 57,993 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $14,773,000 after buying an additional 6,431 shares during the period. Finally, Highland Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 86,539 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $22,044,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE:LOW traded up $3.82 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $270.12. 231,542 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,435,260. The stock has a market capitalization of $153.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $189.05 and a twelve month high of $287.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $263.77 and a 200 day moving average of $241.67.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.56 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were issued a $1.15 dividend. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.70%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.14%.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Lowe’s Companies news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $230.00 to $305.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. UBS Group upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Gordon Haskett reduced their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $275.00 to $305.00 in a research note on Friday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $273.44.

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.