Hilltop Holdings Inc. Decreases Stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Hilltop Holdings Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 26.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,820 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 2,798 shares during the period. Hilltop Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,848,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 119.7% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 31.6% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 22.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,534 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $340,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the period. United Bank boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 12,124 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,690,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 13.1% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 2,378 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $528,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of Lowe’s Companies 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,525,842.60. The trade was a 11.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.90, for a total transaction of $3,139,885.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 39,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,828,291.50. This trade represents a 26.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 25,980 shares of company stock valued at $5,796,937 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on LOW shares. Gordon Haskett decreased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $220.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $320.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. HSBC decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $260.00 to $220.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $315.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 18th. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $264.57.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $207.35 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $199.40 and a 12 month high of $293.06. The stock has a market cap of $116.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.53, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.86. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $215.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $240.22.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.06. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 67.96% and a net margin of 7.51%.The firm had revenue of $23.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.98 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.92 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. On average, 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.27%.

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.