Chatham Capital Group Inc. Sells 3,129 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Chatham Capital Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 11.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,009 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 3,129 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies comprises 1.2% of Chatham Capital Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Chatham Capital Group Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $6,371,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 156.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 116,427 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $24,198,000 after acquiring an additional 70,983 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter valued at $40,000. Morningstar Investment Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 7.9% during the third quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 3,546 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,089,000. Finally, Caxton Associates LP grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 56.9% in the 3rd quarter. Caxton Associates LP now owns 4,260 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $885,000 after buying an additional 1,545 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on LOW shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st. Citigroup cut their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $243.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $255.00 to $250.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, Mizuho started coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $280.00 price objective for the company. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $251.33.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

LOW traded up $0.66 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $220.46. The company had a trading volume of 12,630,451 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,428,194. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $181.85 and a 12-month high of $262.49. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $225.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $228.49. The stock has a market cap of $125.63 billion, a PE ratio of 17.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.08.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 21st. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.94 by $0.12. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.46% and a negative return on equity of 48.52%. The company had revenue of $21.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.67 EPS. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.27%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 35.34%.

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.