DF Dent & Co. Inc. Buys 287 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

DF Dent & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,622 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the period. DF Dent & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $5,336,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. IFS Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 56.4% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $235.25 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $243.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $256.94. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $211.80 and a 52-week high of $287.01. The company has a market cap of $131.67 billion, a PE ratio of 19.62, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $18.29 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LOW has been the subject of several recent research reports. BNP Paribas raised Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.35.

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.