Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Shares Sold by National Pension Service

National Pension Service decreased its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,131,357 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 6,577 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned 0.20% of Lowe's Companies worth $279,219,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC increased its position in Lowe's Companies by 10.2% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $7,045,006,000 after buying an additional 2,399,897 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings 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 valued at $6,774,948,000 after purchasing an additional 460,851 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,733,461 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $3,169,041,000 after purchasing an additional 187,473 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,186,720 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,033,283,000 after purchasing an additional 385,994 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,369,052 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $912,508,000 after purchasing an additional 39,953 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on LOW shares. Wedbush reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $291.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $240.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus upped 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $282.96.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Lowe's Companies stock traded up $4.77 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $247.16. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,663,678 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,386,277. The stock has a market capitalization of $139.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.11. The stock's fifty day moving average is $252.53 and its 200 day moving average is $258.94. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $211.80 and a 1-year high of $287.01.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.10. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies 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.