Wedbush Securities Inc. Decreases Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Wedbush Securities Inc. lowered its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 14.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 12,692 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 2,149 shares during the quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,816,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. Solstein Capital LLC boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 627.8% during the 2nd quarter. Solstein Capital LLC now owns 131 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter valued at about $38,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 101.0% during the second quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 193 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 34.2% during the first quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC now owns 196 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.7%

LOW opened at $232.92 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.38 and a 52 week high of $280.64. The stock has a market cap of $130.62 billion, a PE ratio of 19.14, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a 50 day moving average of $250.65 and a 200-day moving average of $236.99.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.10 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 22nd were paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LOW. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, August 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on 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 upped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $243.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $253.00 to $242.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In related news, EVP Joseph Michael Mcfarland sold 43,810 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.60, for a total transaction of $11,942,606.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 66,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,145,891.60. The trade was 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 link. Also, EVP Brandon J. Sink sold 8,192 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.58, for a total transaction of $2,200,207.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,603 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,802,133.74. This trade represents a 27.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 92,931 shares of company stock valued at $24,945,752. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

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.