Sentry Investment Management LLC Acquires 732 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Sentry Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 430.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 902 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 732 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $202,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter valued at $32,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the second quarter valued at $33,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter valued at $36,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, JNBA Financial Advisors boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 147.1% during the first quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 168 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $269.00 to $294.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $266.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.91.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 transaction of $10,564,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 249,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,772,256.30. This represents a 13.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Brandon J. Sink sold 8,192 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,603 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,802,133.74. This trade represents a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 92,931 shares of company stock worth $24,945,752. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

LOW opened at $244.81 on Monday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.38 and a fifty-two week high of $282.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $137.30 billion, a PE ratio of 20.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.88. The company’s 50-day moving average is $255.21 and its 200 day moving average is $234.78.

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

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 22nd will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 22nd. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.44%.

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.