Community Bank N.A. Lowers Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Community Bank N.A. trimmed its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 20,181 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 320 shares during the quarter. Community Bank N.A.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $4,981,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP now owns 4,101 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,012,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Saxony Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Saxony Capital Management LLC now owns 994 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $245,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,541 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $380,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,012 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,705,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, O Brien Greene & Co. Inc raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 2,896 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $715,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.83.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of LOW opened at $227.09 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $211.80 and a 52 week high of $287.01. The company has a market capitalization of $128.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.94, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $247.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $257.79.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The firm had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.03%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.67%.

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.