Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Grows Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 148.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,012 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,357 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $5,328,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Solstein Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 627.8% in the 2nd quarter. Solstein Capital LLC now owns 131 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 101.0% in the 2nd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 193 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vista Cima Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $44,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LOW shares. DA Davidson reduced their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $266.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Evercore ISI reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $325.00 to $316.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $274.75.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $228.82 on Tuesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.38 and a 12 month high of $280.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.33 billion, a PE ratio of 18.80, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.87. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $242.44 and a 200-day moving average of $237.62.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.09. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 52.02% and a net margin of 8.20%.The company had revenue of $20.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.88 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.89 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.250-12.250 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 21st will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 21st. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Joseph Michael Mcfarland sold 43,810 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.60, for a total value of $11,942,606.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 66,566 shares in the company, valued at $18,145,891.60. This trade represents a 39.69% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.58, for a total transaction of $2,200,207.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,603 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,802,133.74. The trade was a 27.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Company 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.