Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) Shares Gap Up on Earnings Beat

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $219.57, but opened at $230.01. Lowe’s Companies shares last traded at $230.5980, with a volume of 2,564,980 shares.

The home improvement retailer reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $20.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.88 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 52.02% and a net margin of 8.20%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.89 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.250-12.250 EPS.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 21st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Barclays set a $267.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $279.00 to $282.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $278.91.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 929 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.20, for a total transaction of $238,938.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,741,462.80. This represents a 2.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Brandon J. Sink sold 8,192 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.58, for a total transaction of $2,200,207.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,603 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,802,133.74. This trade represents a 27.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 52,931 shares of company stock worth $14,381,752 in the last quarter. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 119.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 31,965 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $7,889,000 after buying an additional 17,413 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 31.6% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.4% in the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 13,047 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,043,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 4.0% during the first quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 9,153 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,135,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 116.9% during the first quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 3,099 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $723,000 after purchasing an additional 1,670 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 5.0%

The business’s fifty day moving average is $245.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $237.46. The firm has a market cap of $129.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.87.

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.