Valeo Financial Advisors LLC Purchases 256 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,522 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,578,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MADDEN SECURITIES Corp bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 333.1% during the 3rd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 4,894 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,325,000 after acquiring an additional 3,764 shares during the period. Iowa State Bank grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Iowa State Bank now owns 16,276 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,408,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the period. TAP Consulting LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.0% during the 3rd quarter. TAP Consulting LLC now owns 12,834 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,476,000 after acquiring an additional 1,163 shares during the period. Finally, LVW Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 3,567 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $966,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $272.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Gordon Haskett dropped 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 research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $266.88.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $275.76 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $252.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $237.69. The stock has a market cap of $157.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $181.85 and a fifty-two week high of $278.10.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.56 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.95%.

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.