Markel Group Inc. Purchases 9,000 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Markel Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.3% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 717,230 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,000 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies makes up approximately 1.3% of Markel Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Markel Group Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $159,132,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 1st quarter worth $681,215,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2,984.6% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,038,069 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $475,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,971,996 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 49.0% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,881,196 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $438,751,000 after purchasing an additional 618,775 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 10.6% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,207,081 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,214,448,000 after purchasing an additional 501,154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 5,111,747 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,192,213,000 after purchasing an additional 330,701 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW stock opened at $244.19 on Wednesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $206.38 and a one year high of $280.64. The company’s 50-day moving average is $254.26 and its 200 day moving average is $236.02. The company has a market capitalization of $136.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.88.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $23.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.10 EPS. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $243.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $266.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Gordon Haskett raised shares of Lowe’s Companies to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $282.59.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Joseph Michael Mcfarland sold 43,810 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.60, for a total transaction of $11,942,606.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 66,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,145,891.60. This represents a 39.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,099 shares in the company, valued at $7,741,462.80. This represents a 2.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 92,931 shares of company stock valued at $24,945,752. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

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.