Augustine Asset Management Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Augustine Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 76.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 6,870 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,974 shares during the quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,696,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 159,742 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $43,290,000 after purchasing an additional 20,123 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 57,232 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $15,501,000 after buying an additional 8,683 shares during the period. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 9.0% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 222,818 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $59,002,000 after acquiring an additional 18,383 shares during the last quarter. Iams Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 39.4% during the third quarter. Iams Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,529 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $414,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares during the period. Finally, Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 5.5% during the third quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. now owns 1,506 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $403,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. DA Davidson raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target 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. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.88.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

LOW opened at $257.09 on Wednesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $211.80 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The company has a 50-day moving average of $256.93 and a 200-day moving average of $258.26. The company has a market capitalization of $145.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.44, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.11.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd were paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 38.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,703 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.