Focused Investors LLC Has $112.54 Million Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Focused Investors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 456,000 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 4,000 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies makes up approximately 3.6% of Focused Investors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Focused Investors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $112,541,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on LOW. BNP Paribas upgraded Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.83.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE:LOW opened at $227.09 on Friday. The stock has a market cap 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 company’s 50 day moving average price is $247.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $257.79. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $211.80 and a 52 week high of $287.01.

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

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.67%.

Lowe’s Companies Company 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.