IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd Has $7.91 Million Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd cut its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 9.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,048 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 3,500 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies makes up approximately 0.9% of IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $7,909,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 649,601 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $175,944,000 after purchasing an additional 24,812 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 288.6% during the 4th quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 19,028 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $4,696,000 after buying an additional 14,132 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 362,209 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $98,104,000 after acquiring an additional 4,435 shares in the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 19,830 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,894,000 after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the period. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 472,838 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $116,696,000 after acquiring an additional 7,187 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on LOW shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Mizuho cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. BNP Paribas upgraded Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.71.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $231.91 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $246.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $257.53. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $211.80 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The firm has a market cap of $130.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.10. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. The company had revenue of $18.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. Analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd 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 1.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 37.67%.

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.