Flavin Financial Services Inc. Purchases Shares of 1,995 Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Flavin Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,995 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock, valued at approximately $492,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Crew Capital Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 1.0% during the third quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd. now owns 3,873 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,049,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Summit Place Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Lowe's Companies by 2.8% in the third quarter. Summit Place Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,375 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $372,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Clean Yield Group grew its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 2.4% in the third quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 1,599 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. grew its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 0.5% in the third quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 7,460 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $2,021,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Powers Advisory Group LLC grew its position in Lowe's Companies by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,541 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $380,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LOW. Bank of America raised their target price on Lowe's Companies from $275.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. StockNews.com upgraded Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. DA Davidson increased their price target on Lowe's Companies from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. 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 Thursday, December 12th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $280.85.

Lowe's Companies Trading Down 1.8 %

NYSE:LOW traded down $4.75 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $252.20. The company had a trading volume of 698,394 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,135,482. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $211.80 and a 52 week high of $287.01. The firm has a market cap of $142.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.04, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.11. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $257.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $257.70.

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 22nd were paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,582,802.11. This represents a 30.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible 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.