BLB&B Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

BLB&B Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 13.3% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,754 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 269 shares during the quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $389,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Solstein Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 627.8% during the 2nd quarter. Solstein Capital LLC now owns 131 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 101.0% during the 2nd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 193 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Joseph Michael Mcfarland sold 43,810 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were 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 $18,145,891.60. This trade represents a 39.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brandon J. Sink sold 8,192 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.58, for a total transaction of $2,200,207.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,603 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,802,133.74. This trade represents a 27.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 92,931 shares of company stock worth $24,945,752 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

LOW opened at $239.66 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $253.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $236.17. The company has a market cap of $134.41 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.88. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.38 and a 1 year high of $280.64.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.33 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.10 earnings per share. 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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share 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 given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on LOW shares. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $253.00 to $242.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 31st. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $266.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $282.59.

Lowe’s Companies Company 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.