Blue Trust Inc. Sells 2,816 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Blue Trust Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 26.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,972 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 2,816 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,884,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 56,230,787 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $13,560,617,000 after acquiring an additional 924,625 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,036,276 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $6,291,867,000 after acquiring an additional 124,501 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,326,581 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,201,329,000 after purchasing an additional 887,579 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $1,993,697,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,830,080 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,716,467,000 after purchasing an additional 103,827 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.81, for a total transaction of $2,097,477.30. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 16,142 shares in the company, valued at $3,628,883.02. The trade was a 36.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.90, for a total transaction of $3,139,885.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 39,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,828,291.50. This represents a 26.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,980 shares of company stock valued at $5,796,937. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW stock opened at $222.04 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $124.50 billion, a PE ratio of 18.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.86. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $203.40 and a 52-week high of $293.06. The business’s fifty day moving average is $224.70 and its 200 day moving average is $244.72.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $23.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $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 forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 22nd. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 40.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LOW shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $320.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $278.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Craig Hallum raised Lowe’s Companies to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $294.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $276.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $264.57.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.