Ritholtz Wealth Management Sells 70 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Ritholtz Wealth Management cut its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,324 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 70 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $3,288,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $7,045,006,000 after acquiring an additional 2,399,897 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1,889.7% during 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 purchasing an additional 2,027,668 shares in the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 387.7% in 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 buying an additional 645,017 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 170.5% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 735,633 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $162,178,000 after buying an additional 463,645 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,013,655 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $6,774,948,000 after buying an additional 460,851 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on LOW. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $282.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.85.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $261.39 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.11. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $209.55 and a 52-week high of $287.01. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $260.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $253.98.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 38.37%.

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.