Principal Financial Group Inc. Raises Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 625,418 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 3,058 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of Lowe’s Companies worth $147,774,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 119.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 22.3% in 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 in the last quarter. United Bank lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.3% in the 2nd 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 during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 13.1% in the 2nd 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on LOW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $303.00 to $281.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $325.00 to $279.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Citigroup upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Gordon Haskett reduced their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $264.57.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE LOW opened at $209.44 on Thursday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $203.40 and a 52 week high of $293.06. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $217.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $242.00. The firm has a market cap of $117.44 billion, a PE ratio of 17.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.86.

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

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm 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 a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lowe’s Companies news, 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 value of $559,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,525,842.60. This trade represents a 11.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was 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 directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 25,980 shares of company stock worth $5,796,937 in the last ninety days. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.