Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW Shares Sold by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System decreased its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 3.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 29,500 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 900 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $6,545,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LOW. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 119.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 31,965 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $7,889,000 after acquiring an additional 17,413 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 13,213 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,082,000 after purchasing an additional 804 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 54.9% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 12,808 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,997,000 after purchasing an additional 4,540 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.2% in the first quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 8,339 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,945,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Brandon J. Sink sold 8,192 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.58, for a total transaction of $2,200,207.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,603 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,802,133.74. This represents a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.10, for a total transaction of $10,564,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 249,043 shares in the company, valued at $65,772,256.30. The trade was a 13.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 92,931 shares of company stock worth $24,945,752 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of LOW stock opened at $239.58 on Wednesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.38 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $254.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $234.34. The firm has a market cap of $134.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.69, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.88.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $23.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.99 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 52.02% and a net margin of 8.20%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.10 EPS. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 22nd. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on LOW shares. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Mizuho raised their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. DA Davidson upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.83.

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.