United Services Automobile Association Has $27.20 Million Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

United Services Automobile Association grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 123,364 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,273 shares during the quarter. United Services Automobile Association’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $27,197,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 53,693,630 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $13,677,378,000 after acquiring an additional 2,674,372 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth $1,638,746,000. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,851,127 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $634,518,000 after purchasing an additional 52,859 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 36.6% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,840,704 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $468,884,000 after purchasing an additional 493,180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,516,347 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $337,463,000 after buying an additional 194,070 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE LOW opened at $243.81 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $236.53 and its 200-day moving average is $234.20. The company has a market capitalization of $138.31 billion, a PE ratio of 19.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $181.85 and a 12-month high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.56 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.93 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on LOW shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $252.83.

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.