Hodges Capital Management Inc. Acquires 577 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 12.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,378 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 577 shares during the quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,327,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. IFS Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 56.4% in the 4th 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 position in Lowe’s Companies by 555.6% during the 3rd quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 118 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MFA Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LOW. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays boosted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $291.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.85.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 1.3 %

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $256.73 on Tuesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $211.80 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $144.96 billion, a PE ratio of 21.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.11. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $259.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $257.46.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 38.37%.

Insider Activity

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,703 shares in the company, valued at $4,582,802.11. The trade was a 30.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

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.