Liberty Capital Management Inc. Buys 193 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Liberty Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,557 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the quarter. Liberty Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,234,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Stephens Consulting LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% during the 2nd quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the second quarter worth about $37,000. Tsfg LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 128.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 178 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $49,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 1.7 %

LOW opened at $272.22 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $155.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $259.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $239.26. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $181.85 and a 12-month high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The company had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.93 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.56 EPS. Lowe’s Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be paid a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on LOW shares. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $269.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $270.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.