Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Buys 167 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,339 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,071,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $7,045,006,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399,897 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 460,851 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,733,461 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,169,041,000 after acquiring an additional 187,473 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,205,491 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,147,603,000 after acquiring an additional 82,978 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 39,953 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $261.39 on Monday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $209.55 and a 52 week high of $287.01. The firm has a market cap of $147.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.11. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $260.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $254.60.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total value of $1,974,915.26. Following 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.85.

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.