Atwater Malick LLC Acquires 178 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Atwater Malick LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 30,486 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies makes up 2.5% of Atwater Malick LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Atwater Malick LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $7,524,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 4,272 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,054,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the period. Whitener Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Whitener Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,646 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,368,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the period. Somerset Trust Co grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 29,575 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $7,299,000 after purchasing an additional 566 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 14.5% during the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 19,293 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $4,761,000 after purchasing an additional 2,436 shares during the period. Finally, Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 45.6% during the 4th quarter. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC now owns 2,460 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $607,000 after purchasing an additional 771 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total value of $1,974,915.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president now 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 SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $262.00 to $307.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $291.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.85.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $261.39 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $209.55 and a 52-week high of $287.01. The company has a market capitalization of $147.59 billion, a PE ratio of 21.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a fifty day moving average of $260.29 and a 200-day moving average of $253.98.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be given a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.