United Capital Management of KS Inc. Buys 1,833 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

United Capital Management of KS Inc. boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 6.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,300 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,833 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies comprises about 1.8% of United Capital Management of KS Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. United Capital Management of KS Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $8,207,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Bamco Inc. NY boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 10.3% during the 1st quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 216,958 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $55,266,000 after acquiring an additional 20,181 shares during the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 655.9% in the first quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 6,304 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,606,000 after purchasing an additional 5,470 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 215,651 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $58,409,000 after buying an additional 2,322 shares during the period. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 12.7% in the 2nd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 25,569 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,637,000 after buying an additional 2,889 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 159,742 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $43,290,000 after buying an additional 20,123 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Loop Capital raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $250.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Telsey Advisory Group upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $305.00 in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $272.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $305.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $273.44.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction 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 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,586,940.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of Lowe’s Companies 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 completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW stock opened at $271.10 on Monday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $189.05 and a 52-week high of $287.01. The stock has a market cap of $153.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.48, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $264.61 and its 200-day moving average is $242.26.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. The business’s revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.56 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were 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 1.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 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.