Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. trimmed its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 46,895 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 223 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $11,574,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $296.00 to $269.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.71.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 2.6 %

Shares of LOW stock opened at $233.01 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $131.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.43, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $211.80 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $247.67 and its 200 day moving average is $257.80.

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

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.