Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. Trims Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78,681 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 1,695 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies comprises approximately 2.0% of Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $19,418,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $7,045,006,000 after acquiring an additional 2,399,897 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,205,491 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,147,603,000 after buying an additional 82,978 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake 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 worth $912,508,000 after buying an additional 39,953 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Loop Capital upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $250.00 to $300.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $291.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.85.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 1.0 %

LOW opened at $261.39 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $260.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $253.98. The company has a market capitalization of $147.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.80, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.11. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $209.55 and a 52 week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 22nd will be paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.37%.

Insider Activity

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total transaction of $1,974,915.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,703 shares in the company, valued at $4,582,802.11. This represents a 30.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

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.