Empirical Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Empirical Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 4,444.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 104,614 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 102,312 shares during the quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $25,819,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sanders Morris Harris LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 31.9% in the 4th quarter. Sanders Morris Harris LLC now owns 8,267 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,044,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,339 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,071,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Mason & Associates Inc boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Mason & Associates Inc now owns 1,006 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Finally, Foresight Capital Management Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $305,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.8 %

LOW opened at $258.70 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $260.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $253.95. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $209.55 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The firm has a market cap of $146.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.58, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.11.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LOW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Oppenheimer upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $305.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $282.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.85.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was 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 represents a 30.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.