Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW Shares Bought by Fifth Third Bancorp

Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 59.2% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 436,504 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 162,315 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $103,137,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 630,956 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $152,161,000 after acquiring an additional 21,119 shares in the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 446,441 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $107,664,000 after purchasing an additional 25,609 shares during the period. Glenview Trust Co boosted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Glenview Trust Co now owns 207,797 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $50,112,000 after purchasing an additional 17,225 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 133.9% in the 1st quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 9,402 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,222,000 after purchasing an additional 5,383 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 993,332 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $239,552,000 after purchasing an additional 22,175 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

LOW traded down $1.31 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $211.69. 2,164,000 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,675,786. The stock has a market cap of $118.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $219.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $242.73. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $203.40 and a 12 month high of $293.06.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.06. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 7.51% and a negative return on equity of 67.96%. The firm had revenue of $23.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.92 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 40.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.83, for a total transaction of $559,575.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,525,842.60. The trade was a 11.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.81, for a total value of $2,097,477.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,628,883.02. This represents a 36.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 25,980 shares of company stock valued at $5,796,937 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $276.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Evercore dropped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Citigroup raised Lowe’s Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Gordon Haskett dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $278.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.57.

Lowe’s Companies Profile

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.