Bollard Group LLC Grows Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Bollard Group LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 22.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,563 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 6,868 shares during the quarter. Bollard Group LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $8,876,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 5.3% during the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 3,737 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $883,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 235,429 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $55,627,000 after purchasing an additional 8,358 shares during the period. FCA Corp TX grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. FCA Corp TX now owns 18,533 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,379,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 3,373 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $797,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dickmeyer Boyce Financial Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $324,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 2.7%

NYSE:LOW opened at $207.35 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $116.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.53, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.86. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $199.40 and a 12 month high of $293.06. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $215.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $240.22.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its earnings results 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 firm 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 revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.92 EPS. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 2.4%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was 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 owned 16,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,628,883.02. The trade was a 36.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.83, for a total value of $559,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,220 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,525,842.60. This represents a 11.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 25,980 shares of company stock valued at $5,796,937 over the last quarter. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $275.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $235.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Gordon Haskett dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Raymond James Financial downgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $264.57.

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.