Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. Decreases Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. decreased its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,689 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 47 shares during the period. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $3,232,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Management Group Inc. lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 1,205 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. First Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 1,509 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $384,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,590 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Jag Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 15,772 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,510,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Hamilton Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC now owns 2,439 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on LOW. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. DA Davidson dropped their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Monday, March 4th. Gordon Haskett reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, May 21st. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $251.33.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW traded up $0.66 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $220.46. 12,630,451 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,428,194. The company has a market cap of $125.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.08. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $181.85 and a fifty-two week high of $262.49. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $225.32 and its 200-day moving average is $228.40.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $21.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.14 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.46% and a negative return on equity of 48.52%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.27%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.34%.

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.