Ledyard National Bank Has $8.52 Million Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Ledyard National Bank decreased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 7.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 34,517 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 2,615 shares during the period. Ledyard National Bank’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $8,519,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LOW. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 28.6% in the 4th quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 405 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $304,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,147 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 94.4% during the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 5,026 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,240,000 after acquiring an additional 2,440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Advocates Investment Management boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 4,189 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,034,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total value of $1,974,915.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,703 shares in the company, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.85.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE:LOW opened at $256.08 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $211.80 and a one year high of $287.01. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $257.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $257.71. The stock has a market cap of $144.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.36, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.11.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.