Gerald Baker Financial Group LLC Takes Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Gerald Baker Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 31,694 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $7,822,000. Lowe’s Companies comprises 2.6% of Gerald Baker Financial Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,993,697,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 45.2% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,555,565 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,580,941,000 after acquiring an additional 2,039,343 shares during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 7,814.9% during the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 1,490,369 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $359,417,000 after purchasing an additional 1,471,539 shares during the period. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth $308,683,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 56,230,787 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $13,560,617,000 after purchasing an additional 924,625 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LOW. HSBC decreased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $260.00 to $220.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $220.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 18th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $278.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $315.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.57.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $216.00 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $217.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $241.80. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $203.40 and a 1-year high of $293.06. The company has a market cap of $121.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.26, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.86.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.06. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 67.96% and a net margin of 7.51%.The company had revenue of $23.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.98 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.92 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.57%.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.81, for a total transaction of $2,097,477.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,142 shares in the company, valued at $3,628,883.02. The trade was a 36.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.83, for a total transaction of $559,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,525,842.60. The trade was a 11.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 25,980 shares of company stock valued at $5,796,937 in the last quarter. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.