Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Armor Investment Advisors LLC

Armor Investment Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 10,386 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 434 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies comprises about 1.1% of Armor Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Armor Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $7,045,006,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399,897 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1,889.7% during the 3rd 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 purchasing an additional 2,027,668 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 24,531.0% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,228,102 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $303,096,000 after purchasing an additional 1,223,116 shares in the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 387.7% during the 3rd quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 811,374 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $219,761,000 after purchasing an additional 645,017 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,013,655 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $6,774,948,000 after purchasing an additional 460,851 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total transaction of $1,974,915.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,582,802.11. This trade represents a 30.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LOW. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.85.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

LOW opened at $256.69 on Tuesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $211.80 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The stock has a market cap of $144.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $257.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $258.11.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.37%.

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.