Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW Shares Sold by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. trimmed its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 10.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 88,152 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 10,127 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $21,166,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter worth approximately $681,215,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 2,984.6% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,038,069 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $475,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,971,996 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 350.2% during the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 2,373,460 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $585,770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,846,315 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 26,796.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,657,332 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $386,540,000 after purchasing an additional 1,651,170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 16.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,074,391 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,745,960,000 after purchasing an additional 993,833 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $257.2410 on Thursday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $206.38 and a one year high of $287.01. The company has a market cap of $144.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.31, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.89. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $228.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $230.35.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $23.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.99 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 49.12% and a net margin of 8.22%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.10 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 39.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LOW. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $266.00 price target on Lowe’s Companies and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Mizuho reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. DA Davidson dropped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $264.00 price target on Lowe’s Companies and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $272.26.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Lowe’s Companies

Lowe’s Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a home improvement retailer in the United States. The company offers a line of products for construction, maintenance, repair, remodeling, and decorating. It also provides home improvement products, such as appliances, seasonal and outdoor living, lawn and garden, lumber, kitchens and bath, tools, paint, millwork, hardware, flooring, rough plumbing, building materials, décor, and electrical.