UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Has $1 Million Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lessened its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,063 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 80 shares during the quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,003,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 56.4% during the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LOW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. BNP Paribas raised Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.71.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

LOW stock opened at $231.91 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $246.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $257.53. The company has a market cap of $130.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $211.80 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.29 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. Equities analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 37.67%.

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.