Blue Trust Inc. Increases Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 20.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 13,616 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,290 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $3,688,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $7,045,006,000 after acquiring an additional 2,399,897 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,013,655 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $6,774,948,000 after acquiring an additional 460,851 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,733,461 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,169,041,000 after acquiring an additional 187,473 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,369,052 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $912,508,000 after acquiring an additional 39,953 shares during the period. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,343,365 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $634,700,000 after acquiring an additional 36,054 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $262.35 on Monday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $209.55 and a 52-week high of $287.01. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $259.11 and a 200-day moving average of $256.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.13 billion, a PE ratio of 21.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.11.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,582,802.11. This represents a 30.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.