Equitable Trust Co. Grows Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Equitable Trust Co. increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 12,835 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the quarter. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,848,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, JNBA Financial Advisors increased its position in Lowe’s Companies by 147.1% during the 1st quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 168 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Brandon J. Sink sold 8,192 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.58, for a total value of $2,200,207.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,603 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,802,133.74. This trade represents a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Joseph Michael Mcfarland sold 43,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.60, for a total value of $11,942,606.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 66,566 shares in the company, valued at $18,145,891.60. The trade was a 39.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 92,931 shares of company stock valued at $24,945,752. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of LOW opened at $234.11 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $254.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $234.46. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.38 and a 12-month high of $287.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $131.30 billion, a PE ratio of 19.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.88.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $23.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.99 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 52.02% and a net margin of 8.20%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.10 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 22nd will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on LOW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $243.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.13.

Lowe’s Companies Company Profile

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.