First Financial Corp IN Reduces Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

First Financial Corp IN cut its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 9.4% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,382 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 143 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $352,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Private Management Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 1,205 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,590 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $576,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 15,772 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,510,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC now owns 2,439 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Abundance Wealth Counselors boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 6,671 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LOW shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $246.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. UBS Group raised their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $251.33.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of LOW traded up $0.91 on Wednesday, reaching $218.16. The stock had a trading volume of 1,039,191 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,458,481. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $181.85 and a twelve month high of $262.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $124.32 billion, a PE ratio of 17.44, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $225.89 and a 200 day moving average of $228.28.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.12. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 48.52% and a net margin of 8.46%. The company had revenue of $21.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.67 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.28%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.34%.

Lowe’s Companies Company 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.