KPP Advisory Services LLC Boosts Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

KPP Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,271 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $615,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Banco Santander S.A. increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 32.8% during the 1st quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 10,259 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,613,000 after acquiring an additional 2,531 shares during the period. Blue Barn Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the first quarter worth $272,000. Cercano Management LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 24.4% during the first quarter. Cercano Management LLC now owns 50,094 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $12,760,000 after buying an additional 9,830 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 6,236 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,588,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobi Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 8,220 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,094,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 30.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. The trade was a 41.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on LOW shares. StockNews.com raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. UBS Group upped 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 report on Wednesday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.84.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:LOW traded down $0.95 during trading on Friday, hitting $269.40. The stock had a trading volume of 2,264,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,439,940. The company has a market capitalization of $152.83 billion, a PE ratio of 22.34, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $267.19 and its 200 day moving average is $243.51. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.23 and a 12 month high of $287.01.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.56 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

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

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.