Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Sells 4,311 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise decreased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 11.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,675 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 4,311 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $7,720,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 52.5% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 3.6%

Shares of LOW stock opened at $221.19 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $225.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $244.91. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $293.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $124.02 billion, a PE ratio of 18.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.86.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $23.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.98 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 7.51% and a negative return on equity of 67.96%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.92 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. Analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. 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. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 40.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $220.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $315.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 18th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $320.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $235.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Twenty-three 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.57.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 39,785 shares in the company, valued at $8,828,291.50. This trade represents a 26.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.81, for a total value of $2,097,477.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 16,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,628,883.02. This trade represents a 36.63% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 25,980 shares of company stock worth $5,796,937 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

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.