Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Buys 2,159 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 25.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,635 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after buying an additional 2,159 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $2,625,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $7,045,006,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399,897 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of 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 valued at $6,774,948,000 after acquiring an additional 460,851 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 187,473 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,369,052 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $912,508,000 after acquiring an additional 39,953 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its stake in Lowe's Companies by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 2,343,365 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $634,700,000 after buying an additional 36,054 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

NYSE LOW traded down $3.74 on Tuesday, reaching $264.68. The company had a trading volume of 1,458,734 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,313,426. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.11. The company's fifty day moving average is $259.04 and its 200-day moving average is $256.75. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $209.81 and a 1-year high of $287.01.

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 22nd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $291.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price 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. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $280.85.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the firm'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 directly owns 16,703 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,582,802.11. This trade represents a 30.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is 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.