Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. Sells 108 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. lessened its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,233 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 108 shares during the period. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $3,760,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $7,045,006,000 after acquiring an additional 2,399,897 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,013,655 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $6,774,948,000 after buying an additional 460,851 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,733,461 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,169,041,000 after purchasing an additional 187,473 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,369,052 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $912,508,000 after buying an additional 39,953 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,343,365 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $634,700,000 after purchasing an additional 36,054 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $282.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.85.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total transaction of $1,974,915.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,582,802.11. The trade was a 30.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE LOW opened at $259.91 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $146.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $259.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $257.35. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $211.80 and a 1 year high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 38.37%.

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.