Winch Advisory Services LLC Purchases 44 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 56.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $30,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $7,045,006,000 after buying an additional 2,399,897 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in 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 worth $578,256,000 after acquiring an additional 2,027,668 shares during the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 387.7% in the 3rd quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 811,374 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $219,761,000 after purchasing an additional 645,017 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 170.5% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 735,633 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $162,178,000 after buying an additional 463,645 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,013,655 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $6,774,948,000 after buying an additional 460,851 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LOW shares. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $250.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $282.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.85.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of LOW stock opened at $256.73 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $260.54 and its 200 day moving average is $253.93. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $209.55 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The company has a market cap of $144.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.41, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.11.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be issued a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.37%.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total transaction of $1,974,915.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,582,802.11. This represents a 30.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.