Lowe’s Companies Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:LOW)

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders bought 18,978 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 134% compared to the typical volume of 8,127 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.81, for a total transaction of $2,097,477.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.83, for a total transaction of $559,575.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,220 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,525,842.60. The trade was a 11.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 25,980 shares of company stock valued at $5,796,937 over the last 90 days. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 119.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 31,965 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $7,889,000 after acquiring an additional 17,413 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 31.6% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 22.3% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,534 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $340,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the period. United Bank raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.3% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 12,124 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,690,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 13.1% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 2,378 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $528,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 1.8%

Lowe’s Companies stock traded down $3.90 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $207.73. 4,263,757 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,859,122. Lowe’s Companies has a one year low of $203.40 and a one year high of $293.06. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $219.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $242.73. The company has a market cap of $116.48 billion, a PE ratio of 17.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.86.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $23.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.98 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 67.96% and a net margin of 7.51%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.92 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis 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 currently 40.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Wolfe Research set a $254.00 target price on Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $303.00 to $281.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $277.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, William Blair started coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.57.

Lowe’s Companies Company 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.