Essential Planning LLC. Purchases 157,854 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Essential Planning LLC. grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 6,144.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 160,423 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 157,854 shares during the quarter. Essential Planning LLC.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $42,923,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. IFS Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 56.4% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 4.1 %

LOW stock opened at $232.48 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $251.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $259.14. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $211.80 and a 12-month high of $287.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $131.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.39, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The firm had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.29 billion. Equities analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on LOW. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Barclays raised 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 report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.83.

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.