Stratos Investment Management LLC Reduces Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Stratos Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 14.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,338 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 564 shares during the period. Stratos Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $824,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FMR LLC increased its stake 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 worth $7,045,006,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399,897 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1,889.7% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,134,969 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $578,256,000 after acquiring an additional 2,027,668 shares in the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 387.7% in the third quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 811,374 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $219,761,000 after acquiring an additional 645,017 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,013,655 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $6,774,948,000 after purchasing an additional 460,851 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 219.4% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 458,343 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $124,142,000 after purchasing an additional 314,861 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on LOW shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $291.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Barclays increased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.85.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:LOW opened at $257.23 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $258.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $257.58. The company has a market capitalization of $145.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.45, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.11. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $211.80 and a 12 month high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 38.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total transaction of $1,974,915.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,582,802.11. This represents a 30.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.