Mason & Associates Inc Purchases Shares of 945 Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Mason & Associates Inc purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 945 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $256,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stephens Consulting LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% in the second quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 118.6% during the 3rd quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Tsfg LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 128.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 178 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW traded up $1.34 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $271.45. The company had a trading volume of 367,405 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,442,162. The stock has a market capitalization of $154.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $181.85 and a 52-week high of $287.01. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $259.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $239.47.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.96 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.56 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be issued a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LOW has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Loop Capital upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $250.00 to $300.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $323.00 target price for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer raised Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $230.00 to $305.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $270.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,334,678.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.