Stonebridge Financial Group LLC Increases Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Stonebridge Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 10.9% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 25,531 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,506 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $5,629,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 52.5% during the 4th quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Sankala Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.81, for a total value of $2,097,477.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,628,883.02. The trade was a 36.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 39,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,828,291.50. This represents a 26.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 25,980 shares of company stock worth $5,796,937. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 2.1%

LOW opened at $212.14 on Tuesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $199.40 and a twelve month high of $293.06. The firm has a market cap of $118.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.93, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $214.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $238.17.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $23.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.92 EPS. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. 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. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Lowe’s Companies from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $260.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Craig Hallum upgraded Lowe’s Companies to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $278.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, HSBC reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $260.00 to $220.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.67.

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.