FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH Sells 557 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH trimmed its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,022 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 557 shares during the period. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,720,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Virtu Financial LLC lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 3.1% during the second quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 3,296 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $727,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 17,829 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,931,000 after buying an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,503 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $4,300,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the period. Trust Investment Advisors boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 4,422 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $975,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 6.2% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 64,690 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $14,262,000 after acquiring an additional 3,769 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 1.0 %

NYSE:LOW opened at $261.39 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $260.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $253.98. The firm 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 12-month low of $209.55 and a 12-month high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be paid a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $291.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.85.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total value of $1,974,915.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,582,802.11. The trade was a 30.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.