Vest Financial LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 17.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 251,292 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 37,893 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $55,754,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake 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 during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 15.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,106 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,657,000 after buying an additional 944 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,341 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,712,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the period. Finally, Goldstone Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $206,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Joseph Michael Mcfarland sold 43,810 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.60, for a total value of $11,942,606.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 66,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,145,891.60. This trade represents a 39.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.10, for a total value of $10,564,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 249,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,772,256.30. This represents a 13.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 92,931 shares of company stock worth $24,945,752 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE LOW opened at $232.28 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $130.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.09, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.88. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.38 and a twelve month high of $287.01. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $254.92 and a 200 day moving average of $234.42.

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

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on LOW shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $250.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $264.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $283.13.

Lowe’s Companies 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.