Lafayette Investments Inc. Acquires 978 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Lafayette Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 44,224 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 978 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies makes up about 2.4% of Lafayette Investments Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Lafayette Investments Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $9,842,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hamilton Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2.1% during the third quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC now owns 2,439 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 6,671 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 9,013 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,006,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2.8% during the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,939 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thomasville National Bank lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Thomasville National Bank now owns 11,803 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,627,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE LOW traded down $0.10 on Thursday, reaching $228.76. 1,993,108 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,552,402. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $181.85 and a 12 month high of $262.49. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $239.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $218.46. The stock has a market cap of $130.89 billion, a PE ratio of 17.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.13.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.94% and a negative return on equity of 51.42%. The firm had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be issued a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 33.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LOW shares. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Wedbush increased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Monday, March 4th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $252.52.

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.