Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Sells 35,570 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC cut its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 459,640 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 35,570 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies makes up about 0.8% of Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.08% of Lowe’s Companies worth $113,439,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 649,601 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $175,944,000 after acquiring an additional 24,812 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 288.6% in the 4th quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 19,028 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $4,696,000 after purchasing an additional 14,132 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 362,209 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $98,104,000 after purchasing an additional 4,435 shares during the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 19,830 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,894,000 after buying an additional 501 shares during the period. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 472,838 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $116,696,000 after buying an additional 7,187 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LOW shares. StockNews.com raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.71.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 1.7 %

LOW opened at $228.20 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $127.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $245.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $257.31. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $211.80 and a twelve month 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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.29 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.