Hartford Financial Management Inc. Sells 44 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Hartford Financial Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 6,714 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 44 shares during the quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,657,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $7,045,006,000 after buying an additional 2,399,897 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1,889.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,134,969 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $578,256,000 after acquiring an additional 2,027,668 shares during the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 387.7% during the 3rd quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 811,374 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $219,761,000 after acquiring an additional 645,017 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,013,655 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $6,774,948,000 after purchasing an additional 460,851 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 219.4% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 458,343 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $124,142,000 after purchasing an additional 314,861 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE LOW opened at $264.12 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $259.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $257.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.11. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $211.80 and a 12-month high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total transaction of $1,974,915.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,703 shares in the company, valued at $4,582,802.11. This represents a 30.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on LOW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Mizuho raised their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $282.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $250.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.85.

Lowe’s Companies Company 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.