Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Has $10.24 Million Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 41,481 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 3,605 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $10,238,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP now owns 4,101 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.5% in the third quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 7,460 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,021,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Saxony Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Saxony Capital Management LLC now owns 994 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,541 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $380,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% in the third quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 2,604 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $703,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on LOW shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.83.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $239.71 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $252.28 and a 200-day moving average of $259.23. The stock has a market cap of $135.35 billion, a PE ratio of 19.99, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.11. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $211.80 and a 52-week high of $287.01.

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

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.