Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Bessemer Group Inc.

Bessemer Group Inc. lowered its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,918,747 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 21,341 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies comprises about 0.8% of Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Bessemer Group Inc. owned approximately 0.34% of Lowe’s Companies worth $473,546,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Texas Yale Capital Corp. increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. now owns 4,895 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,208,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 32.7% during the 4th quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 17,386 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $4,291,000 after purchasing an additional 4,280 shares during the last quarter. Tandem Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $627,000. APG Asset Management N.V. lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 414.5% in the fourth quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 421,521 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $100,465,000 after buying an additional 339,591 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $1,145,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $210.36 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $239.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $255.48. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $207.58 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $117.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.54, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.07.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. The company had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.29 billion. Analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 37.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LOW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.74.

Lowe’s Companies 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.