Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc.

Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,090 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 135 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies accounts for 1.3% of Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,997,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. State Street Corp increased its position 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 worth $6,774,948,000 after acquiring an additional 460,851 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,733,461 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,169,041,000 after purchasing an additional 187,473 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,186,720 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,033,283,000 after purchasing an additional 385,994 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,459,064 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $853,697,000 after purchasing an additional 90,012 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 60.1% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 2,603,305 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $642,730,000 after purchasing an additional 976,823 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LOW shares. BNP Paribas upgraded Lowe’s Companies to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.71.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

LOW stock opened at $231.91 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $130.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.34, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $211.80 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $246.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $257.53.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $18.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. As a group, analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 37.67%.

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.