GenTrust LLC Lowers Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

GenTrust LLC trimmed its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 10.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,568 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 414 shares during the quarter. GenTrust LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $794,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter worth $26,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 85.4% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 152 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Wedbush lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on 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. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $251.60.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE LOW opened at $254.73 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $181.85 and a 52-week high of $262.49. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $232.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $215.99. The firm has a market cap of $145.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be issued a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.