Bank of New Hampshire Trims Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Bank of New Hampshire decreased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 14,469 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 407 shares during the period. Bank of New Hampshire’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $3,571,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. StoneX Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,713,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 649,601 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $175,944,000 after acquiring an additional 24,812 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% in the third quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 215,651 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $58,409,000 after purchasing an additional 2,322 shares during the period. Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter worth about $16,143,000. Finally, Daymark Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 12.7% in the 2nd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 25,569 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,637,000 after purchasing an additional 2,889 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total transaction of $1,974,915.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,582,802.11. This trade represents a 30.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of LOW traded up $1.20 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $250.94. 65,812 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,813,060. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $262.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $252.84. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $209.55 and a 52 week high of $287.01. The company has a market cap of $141.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.93, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.11.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 38.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays boosted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $282.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $291.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Loop Capital raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $250.00 to $300.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.85.

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.