Howe & Rusling Inc. Decreases Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Howe & Rusling Inc. decreased its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,434 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 3,265 shares during the period. Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $7,160,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Stephens Consulting LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% during the 2nd quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. JNBA Financial Advisors boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 555.6% during the third quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 118 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 118.6% in the third quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Tsfg LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 128.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 178 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LOW. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group upped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $262.00 to $307.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.84.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 30.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. The trade was a 41.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $259.23 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $147.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $267.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $244.23. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.23 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.56 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were given a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.77%. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.14%.

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.