California State Teachers Retirement System Sells 22,240 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

California State Teachers Retirement System cut its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 2.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 838,648 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 22,240 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $198,156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. Swiss RE Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 52.5% during the fourth quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter valued at about $34,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW stock opened at $218.17 on Wednesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $199.40 and a fifty-two week high of $293.06. The firm has a market cap of $122.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.86. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $215.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $239.73.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.98 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.92 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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 analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be issued a $1.25 dividend. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.27%.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.83, for a total value of $559,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,220 shares in the company, valued at $4,525,842.60. This trade represents a 11.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 39,785 shares in the company, valued at $8,828,291.50. This trade represents a 26.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 25,980 shares of company stock valued at $5,796,937. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial lowered Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $303.00 to $281.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $275.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $276.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $315.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $264.57.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.