Leelyn Smith LLC Buys 391 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Leelyn Smith LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 18,597 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 391 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies comprises approximately 0.9% of Leelyn Smith LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Leelyn Smith LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $5,037,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Bamco Inc. NY lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.3% in the 1st quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 216,958 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $55,266,000 after purchasing an additional 20,181 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 655.9% in the first quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 6,304 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,606,000 after buying an additional 5,470 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% during the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 215,651 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $58,409,000 after buying an additional 2,322 shares during the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 12.7% during the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 25,569 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $5,637,000 after acquiring an additional 2,889 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 159,742 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $43,290,000 after acquiring an additional 20,123 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $264.63 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $150.12 billion, a PE ratio of 22.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $268.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $244.73. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.23 and a twelve month high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The company had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.93 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.56 EPS. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were issued a $1.15 dividend. 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 dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.37%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 41.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. This represents a 30.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on LOW shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Melius Research began coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $290.00 price target for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $306.00 to $301.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $277.92.

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.