First Business Financial Services Inc. Acquires 179 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

First Business Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,764 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. Dearborn Partners LLC increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2.3% during the third quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 6,024 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,632,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 83,918 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $22,729,000 after purchasing an additional 6,232 shares during the last quarter. Oak Harbor Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Oak Harbor Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,949 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,070,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Lifeworks Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 46.0% during the third quarter. Lifeworks Advisors LLC now owns 1,754 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $475,000 after purchasing an additional 553 shares during the period. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 5.9% in the third quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 15,840 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $4,290,000 after buying an additional 880 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,334,678.06. The trade was a 41.91 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total transaction of $1,555,408.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 30.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE LOW opened at $270.35 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $153.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.42, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $266.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $243.06. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.23 and a 12-month high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $23.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 47.07% and a net margin of 8.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.56 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were issued a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 23rd. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on LOW shares. Gordon Haskett cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $273.84.

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.