Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Strategic Blueprint LLC

Strategic Blueprint LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,785 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 62 shares during the quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,428,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho increased 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. StockNews.com raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.85.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

LOW stock opened at $261.72 on Thursday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $210.10 and a 1 year high of $287.01. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $259.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $256.97. The firm has a market cap of $147.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.83, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.11.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

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.