Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Sentry Investment Management LLC

Sentry Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 59.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,041 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 1,538 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $282,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Stephens Consulting LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% during the 2nd quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 118.6% in the 3rd quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Tsfg LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 128.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 178 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

LOW opened at $264.98 on Tuesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $189.05 and a one year high of $287.01. The company has a market cap of $150.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.97, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $263.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $241.25.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The company had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.56 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be issued a $1.15 dividend. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 38.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on LOW. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Oppenheimer raised Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $305.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $323.00 price target for the company. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $271.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,586,940.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.