First Financial Bank Trust Division Sells 2,105 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

First Financial Bank Trust Division trimmed its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 4.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 47,747 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 2,105 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies comprises about 1.2% of First Financial Bank Trust Division’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. First Financial Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $12,163,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Private Management Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 1,205 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,590 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $576,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 15,772 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,510,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.1% during the third quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC now owns 2,439 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $507,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abundance Wealth Counselors lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 6,671 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $255.00 to $250.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $246.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $251.33.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.4 %

LOW stock traded up $0.95 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $227.72. The stock had a trading volume of 543,687 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,427,277. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $226.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $227.47. The company has a market cap of $129.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.08. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $181.85 and a 52-week high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.94 by $0.12. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 48.52% and a net margin of 8.46%. The company had revenue of $21.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.14 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 24th. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.34%.

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.