Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 132,050 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 1,619 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies accounts for approximately 1.0% of Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $32,590,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of LOW. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $7,045,006,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399,897 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1,889.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,134,969 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $578,256,000 after buying an additional 2,027,668 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC raised its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 24,531.0% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,228,102 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $303,096,000 after buying an additional 1,223,116 shares during the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 387.7% in the third quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 811,374 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $219,761,000 after acquiring an additional 645,017 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake 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 worth $6,774,948,000 after acquiring an additional 460,851 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $310.00 to $307.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price 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. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.85.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total value of $1,974,915.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 16,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,582,802.11. This represents a 30.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE:LOW opened at $252.17 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $211.80 and a one year high of $287.01. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $257.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $257.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $142.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.11.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 22nd were paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.37%.

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.