Lowe’s Companies Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:LOW)

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Traders bought 13,192 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 51% compared to the average volume of 8,758 call options.

Institutional Trading of Lowe’s Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LOW. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $67,000. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $267,000. 111 Capital acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $1,912,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 397,390 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $98,076,000 after buying an additional 39,616 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 95,913 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $23,671,000 after acquiring an additional 598 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of LOW opened at $230.61 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $130.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.23, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12. The business’s 50 day moving average is $247.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $257.71. Lowe’s Companies has a 52-week low of $211.80 and a 52-week high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $18.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $18.29 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.19% and a negative return on equity of 47.55%. On average, equities analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.99%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 37.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the topic of a number of research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.71.

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.