Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Sells 152 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 167,522 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 152 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies comprises 0.9% of Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $45,373,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 5.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 53,693,630 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $13,677,378,000 after buying an additional 2,674,372 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1,889.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,134,969 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $578,256,000 after acquiring an additional 2,027,668 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 20,275.6% in the 2nd quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,205,014 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,657,000 after acquiring an additional 1,199,100 shares during the last quarter. M&G Plc bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $217,995,000. Finally, Applied Finance Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 387.7% during the 3rd quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 811,374 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $219,761,000 after purchasing an additional 645,017 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of LOW opened at $271.10 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $153.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.48, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $189.05 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The company has a 50-day moving average of $264.61 and a 200 day moving average of $242.11.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.56 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Oppenheimer upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $230.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Gordon Haskett reduced their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Loop Capital upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $250.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.44.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the business’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 value of $1,555,408.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 0.00 % 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 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.