Focused Investors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Focused Investors LLC reduced its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.5% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 434,350 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 11,100 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies comprises 3.3% of Focused Investors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Focused Investors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $102,628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 52.5% in the fourth quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Sankala Group LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp reduced their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $235.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $303.00 to $281.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $220.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, HSBC decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $260.00 to $220.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.57.

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 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 approximately $3,628,883.02. The trade was a 36.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.90, for a total value of $3,139,885.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 39,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,828,291.50. The trade was a 26.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $222.10 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $227.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $245.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $124.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.77, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.87. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $203.40 and a 12-month high of $293.06.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 the consensus estimate of $22.98 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 7.51% and a negative return on equity of 67.96%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm 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 predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be paid a $1.25 dividend. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. 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.