Watchman Group Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Watchman Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 23.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,988 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 5,275 shares during the quarter. Lowe's Companies makes up 1.1% of Watchman Group Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Watchman Group Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $4,193,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP raised its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Klingenstein Fields & Co. LP now owns 4,101 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,012,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Saxony Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Saxony Capital Management LLC now owns 994 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,012 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $3,705,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, O Brien Greene & Co. Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 2,896 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on LOW shares. BNP Paribas raised Lowe's Companies to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Wedbush reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $279.71.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

NYSE LOW traded up $0.49 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $233.72. 2,212,750 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,421,588. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $211.80 and a 12-month high of $287.01. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $245.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $257.24. The firm has a market cap of $130.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.49, 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 quarterly 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 business had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.29 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.55% and a net margin of 8.19%. Research analysts expect 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.97%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.67%.

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.