Fifth Third Bancorp Boosts Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 59.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 436,504 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 162,315 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp owned approximately 0.08% of Lowe’s Companies worth $103,137,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 56,230,787 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $13,560,617,000 after purchasing an additional 924,625 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 0.5% during 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 buying an additional 124,501 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 887,579 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,993,697,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 103,827 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LOW. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $276.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $303.00 to $281.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $315.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $320.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $277.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $264.57.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Lowe’s Companies stock traded down $1.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $211.69. 2,164,000 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,675,786. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $203.40 and a 12-month high of $293.06. The company has a market capitalization of $118.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.89, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.86. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $219.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $242.73.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.92 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 40.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.83, for a total transaction of $559,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,220 shares in the company, valued at $4,525,842.60. The trade was a 11.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.90, for a total transaction of $3,139,885.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 39,785 shares in the company, valued at $8,828,291.50. The trade was a 26.24% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 25,980 shares of company stock valued at $5,796,937 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies 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.