MetLife Investment Management LLC Has $37.08 Million Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 150,248 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,025 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $37,081,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Lowe's Companies by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on LOW. Bank of America decreased their price target on Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $296.00 to $269.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. BNP Paribas upgraded Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Mizuho cut their price target on 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $278.74.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW traded up $4.83 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $222.59. The stock had a trading volume of 970,115 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,468,816. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.39 and a 12-month high of $287.01. The company has a market cap of $124.58 billion, a PE ratio of 18.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.07. The company's 50 day moving average is $230.48 and its 200-day moving average is $251.65.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.29 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

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 paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.