Kestra Advisory Services LLC Buys 3,963 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 6.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 65,131 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,963 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $16,591,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 5.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 53,693,630 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $13,677,378,000 after acquiring an additional 2,674,372 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $1,638,746,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,211,131 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $714,637,000 after purchasing an additional 41,451 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,851,127 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $634,518,000 after purchasing an additional 52,859 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $430,090,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE LOW traded up $4.10 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $238.87. The company had a trading volume of 1,942,530 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,878,763. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $181.85 and a 1-year high of $262.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $223.92 and its 200-day moving average is $229.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $136.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.08.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $21.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.14 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.46% and a negative return on equity of 48.52%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.67 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be paid 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 0.25%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 13th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $271.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. 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 has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $250.04.

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.