Greenleaf Trust Cuts Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Greenleaf Trust decreased its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 33.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,833 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 8,346 shares during the quarter. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $3,735,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 0.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 54,609,378 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $12,736,545,000 after purchasing an additional 230,359 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 10.6% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,207,081 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,214,448,000 after purchasing an additional 501,154 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 6.9% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 5,111,747 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,192,213,000 after purchasing an additional 330,701 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 6.4% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,779,120 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $881,406,000 after purchasing an additional 225,964 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.2% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,501,740 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $816,711,000 after purchasing an additional 42,676 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of LOW stock opened at $251.20 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $252.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $233.68. The company has a market cap of $140.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.64, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.87. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.38 and a 12 month high of $287.01.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $23.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.99 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.20% and a negative return on equity of 52.02%. The company’s revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.10 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.44%.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Joseph Michael Mcfarland sold 43,810 shares of the company’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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 66,566 shares in the company, valued at $18,145,891.60. This represents a 39.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.10, for a total transaction of $10,564,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 249,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,772,256.30. This represents a 13.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 92,931 shares of company stock worth $24,945,752. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LOW. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $266.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $269.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Wolfe Research began coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $264.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $285.50.

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.