Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Takes Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 28,600 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $6,758,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 52.5% in the 4th quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.90, for a total value of $3,139,885.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 39,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,828,291.50. This represents a 26.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.83, for a total transaction of $559,575.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,220 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,525,842.60. This represents a 11.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 25,980 shares of company stock valued at $5,796,937 over the last three months. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Argus upped their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $286.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $315.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $275.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Twenty-three investment 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $264.57.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $222.04 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $124.50 billion, a PE ratio of 18.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $224.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $244.72. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $203.40 and a fifty-two week high of $293.06.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $23.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.98 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 67.96% and a net margin of 7.51%.Lowe’s Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.92 EPS. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 earnings per share 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 issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.57%.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.