Focused Investors LLC Has $124.59 Million Stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Focused Investors LLC decreased its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 460,000 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 8,600 shares during the period. Lowe's Companies accounts for approximately 3.8% of Focused Investors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Focused Investors LLC owned about 0.08% of Lowe's Companies worth $124,591,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bamco Inc. NY increased its stake in Lowe's Companies by 10.3% in the 1st quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 216,958 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $55,266,000 after buying an additional 20,181 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 655.9% during the first quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 6,304 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,606,000 after purchasing an additional 5,470 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. boosted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 215,651 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $58,409,000 after purchasing an additional 2,322 shares in the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 12.7% in the 2nd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 25,569 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $5,637,000 after purchasing an additional 2,889 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its position in Lowe's Companies by 14.4% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 159,742 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $43,290,000 after purchasing an additional 20,123 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at $3,586,940.30. This represents a 30.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 41.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe's Companies Trading Down 0.4 %

LOW stock traded down $0.95 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $269.40. 2,264,979 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,318,364. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $267.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $243.62. The company has a market capitalization of $152.83 billion, a PE ratio of 22.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.23 and a twelve month high of $287.01.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.93 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.56 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were given a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 23rd. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Lowe's Companies from $306.00 to $307.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Gordon Haskett lowered their price target on Lowe's Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $273.84.

Lowe's Companies Company Profile

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.