Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. Purchases Shares of 2,000 Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,000 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $542,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Stephens Consulting LLC increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% in the 2nd quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Keener Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the second quarter worth $37,000. Tsfg LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 128.2% during the third quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 178 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the second quarter valued at $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock traded up $0.33 on Friday, hitting $281.64. 2,031,301 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,450,833. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $257.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $238.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $160.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $181.85 and a 1-year high of $287.01.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. The company had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.56 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on LOW shares. Bank of America increased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Oppenheimer raised Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $305.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $230.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $268.42.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.