Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Railway Pension Investments Ltd

Railway Pension Investments Ltd lowered its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 54.3% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 138,683 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 165,068 shares during the period. Railway Pension Investments Ltd’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $35,327,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Tidemark LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

LOW stock traded down $0.94 on Friday, reaching $240.42. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,258,921 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,483,161. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $181.85 and a 52 week high of $262.49. The company has a market capitalization of $137.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $225.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $230.17.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 24th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.25%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LOW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $246.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $271.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $250.04.

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.