Lincoln National Corp Trims Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Lincoln National Corp lessened its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,959 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 350 shares during the quarter. Lincoln National Corp’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,439,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 64,441 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $14,341,000 after buying an additional 6,667 shares in the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 6,608 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,471,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 11,205 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,465,000 after purchasing an additional 853 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC now owns 215,442 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $47,947,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. now owns 1,600 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock traded down $0.25 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $231.45. 1,912,237 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,453,542. 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 $240.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $221.40. The company has a market cap of $132.43 billion, a PE ratio of 17.63, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.15.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarterly revenue was down 17.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 33.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on LOW shares. Citigroup reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $243.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $252.67.

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.