Blue Trust Inc. Buys 574 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 5.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,749 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 574 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,385,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, JNBA Financial Advisors grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 147.1% in the 1st quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 168 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $232.28 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.38 and a 52-week high of $287.01. The company has a market capitalization of $130.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.88. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $254.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $234.38.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $23.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.99 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.20% and a negative return on equity of 52.02%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.10 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 22nd. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 39.44%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Joseph Michael Mcfarland sold 43,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.60, for a total value of $11,942,606.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 66,566 shares in the company, valued at $18,145,891.60. This trade represents a 39.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brandon J. Sink sold 8,192 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.58, for a total value of $2,200,207.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,603 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,802,133.74. This trade represents a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 92,931 shares of company stock valued at $24,945,752. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LOW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $266.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen raised Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.13.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.