Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Decreases Stock Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA reduced its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 733,037 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 15,034 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned approximately 0.13% of Lowe's Companies worth $180,914,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $312,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $1,842,954,000. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations purchased a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 91.0% during the fourth quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 380 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $1,259,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lowe's Companies Stock Up 0.3 %

LOW stock traded up $0.77 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $234.78. The company's stock had a trading volume of 810,864 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,499,582. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $211.80 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The company has a 50 day moving average of $244.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $257.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $131.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $18.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.29 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. On average, analysts anticipate that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.96%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho decreased their target price on Lowe's Companies from $305.00 to $300.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Lowe's Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $279.71.

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.