Centaurus Financial Inc. Sells 95 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Centaurus Financial Inc. cut its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,549 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 95 shares during the quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $961,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1,889.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,134,969 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $578,256,000 after acquiring an additional 2,027,668 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 20,275.6% during the second quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,205,014 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,657,000 after purchasing an additional 1,199,100 shares during the period. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 387.7% in the third quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 811,374 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $219,761,000 after purchasing an additional 645,017 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 170.5% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 735,633 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $162,178,000 after buying an additional 463,645 shares during the period. Finally, Hardin Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $74,763,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 4.0 %

Shares of LOW opened at $275.33 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $269.11 and a 200 day moving average of $245.19. The company has a market capitalization of $156.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.96, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.32 and a 12 month high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 23rd. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.37%.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

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 transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 41.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 30.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $291.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $306.00 to $301.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Gordon Haskett cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $277.92.

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.