Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Boosts Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 60.3% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 147,375 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 55,420 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $34,822,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 52.5% in the 4th quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LOW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Gordon Haskett reduced their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $277.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $315.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $320.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Evercore decreased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $264.57.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $227.26 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $222.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $243.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $127.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.21, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.86. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $203.40 and a one year high of $293.06.

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

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 yield of 2.2%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.81, for a total transaction of $2,097,477.30. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 16,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,628,883.02. The trade was a 36.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was 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 owned 39,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,828,291.50. The trade was a 26.24% 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 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Company 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.