Align Financial LLC Acquires Shares of 136,738 Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Align Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 136,738 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $32,976,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Swiss RE Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 52.5% during the fourth quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.90, for a total value of $3,139,885.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 39,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,828,291.50. This represents a 26.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOW has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $315.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 18th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $275.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $276.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $293.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $264.57.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $217.12 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $121.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.86. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $203.40 and a 1 year high of $293.06. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $227.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $245.84.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $23.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.98 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 67.96% and a net margin of 7.51%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.92 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.57%.

Lowe’s Companies Company Profile

Lowe’s Companies, Inc is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and digital channels serving both do-it-yourself homeowners and professional contractors. The company offers a broad assortment of products including building materials, lumber, appliances, tools and hardware, plumbing and electrical supplies, paint, flooring, kitchen and bath fixtures, outdoor and garden products, and home decor. Lowe’s also provides a range of services such as installation, home improvement financing, tool and equipment rental, and contractor-focused sales programs.

Operations are centered on a nationwide brick-and-mortar store network supported by distribution centers and an e-commerce platform that enables online ordering, delivery and in-store pickup.