Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by New Covenant Trust Company N.A.

New Covenant Trust Company N.A. reduced its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 4.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,109 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 52 shares during the period. New Covenant Trust Company N.A.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $265,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 33.9% during the second quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 5,568 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,224,000 after acquiring an additional 1,411 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $7,118,000. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,572,000. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 4,283 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $944,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,776,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

LOW traded up $1.73 on Friday, hitting $248.50. The company had a trading volume of 2,587,136 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,522,403. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $233.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.32. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $181.85 and a 1-year high of $262.49. The stock has a market cap of $141.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.07.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 48.52% and a net margin of 8.46%. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.56 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be issued a $1.15 dividend. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 36.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Gordon Haskett decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. UBS Group raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $254.04.

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.