Oakworth Capital Inc. Sells 51 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Oakworth Capital Inc. lowered its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,938 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 51 shares during the period. Oakworth Capital Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,322,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 21.3% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,690,606 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,329,237,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,089 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,461,267,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,138,824 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,483,733,000 after acquiring an additional 78,901 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 107,710.7% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,080,039 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,012,147,000 after acquiring an additional 5,075,327 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 189.5% in the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 2,798,268 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $581,592,000 after acquiring an additional 1,831,727 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock traded up $0.91 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $229.26. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,019,564 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,546,294. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $181.85 and a 52 week high of $262.49. The stock has a market cap of $131.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $239.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $218.31.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.94% and a negative return on equity of 51.42%. The company had revenue of $18.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.28 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.92%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $235.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Monday, March 4th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Zelman & Associates restated a “neutral” rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.52.

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.