Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV Raises Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,707 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,546,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 53,693,630 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $13,677,378,000 after acquiring an additional 2,674,372 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1,889.7% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,134,969 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $578,256,000 after purchasing an additional 2,027,668 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 20,275.6% in the second quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,205,014 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,657,000 after buying an additional 1,199,100 shares during the last quarter. M&G Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter worth about $217,995,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 36.6% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,840,704 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $468,884,000 after buying an additional 493,180 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $261.94 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $262.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.82. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $189.05 and a 12-month high of $287.01. The company has a market capitalization of $148.60 billion, a PE ratio of 21.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.56 EPS. Lowe’s Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 38.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related 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 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 trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,586,940.30. This 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 insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Gordon Haskett decreased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Melius Research started coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $290.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $323.00 price target for the company. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $271.60.

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.