Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank cut its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,691,300 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 2,800 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.30% of Lowe’s Companies worth $458,089,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1,889.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,134,969 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $578,256,000 after buying an additional 2,027,668 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 20,275.6% in the second quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,205,014 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,657,000 after purchasing an additional 1,199,100 shares during the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 387.7% in the third quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 811,374 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $219,761,000 after purchasing an additional 645,017 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 36.6% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,840,704 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $468,884,000 after purchasing an additional 493,180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 170.5% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 735,633 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $162,178,000 after purchasing an additional 463,645 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on LOW shares. Gordon Haskett lowered their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $262.00 to $307.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.84.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $269.40 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $267.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $243.62. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.23 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $152.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.10.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.93 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.56 EPS. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.93 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were paid a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 23rd. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.71%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 38.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,334,678.06. The trade was a 41.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 30.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.