PFG Advisors Raises Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

PFG Advisors raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 41.3% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,971 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 576 shares during the period. PFG Advisors’ holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $437,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $681,215,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 2,984.6% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,038,069 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $475,339,000 after acquiring an additional 1,971,996 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 49.0% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,881,196 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $438,751,000 after purchasing an additional 618,775 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 10.6% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,207,081 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,214,448,000 after purchasing an additional 501,154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 6.9% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 5,111,747 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,192,213,000 after purchasing an additional 330,701 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $235.53 on Wednesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.38 and a fifty-two week high of $280.64. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $249.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $237.31. The firm has a market cap of $132.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.87.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.20% and a negative return on equity of 52.02%. The firm had revenue of $23.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 22nd were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 22nd. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.44%.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 929 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.20, for a total value of $238,938.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,099 shares in the company, valued at $7,741,462.80. This represents a 2.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Brandon J. Sink sold 8,192 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 21,603 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,802,133.74. This trade represents a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 92,931 shares of company stock valued at $24,945,752 in the last quarter. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on LOW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $279.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Mizuho boosted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 29th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.50.

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.