China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Raises Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 10.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,692 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 951 shares during the quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,392,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 555.6% in the third quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 118 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 118.6% during the 3rd quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on LOW shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lowe’s Companies 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 transaction of $1,974,915.26. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,582,802.11. The trade was a 30.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of LOW stock opened at $259.91 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $146.76 billion, a PE ratio of 21.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $259.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $257.24. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $211.80 and a 52-week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be issued a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 38.37%.

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.