14,331 Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW Shares Acquired by Candriam S.C.A.

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its Lowe’s stake by 25.1% in the third quarter, adding 14,331 shares to bring its holdings to 71,455 shares, valued at about $13.2 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, at 74.06% of shares; other major investors including BlackRock and State Street also increased their positions.
• Analysts give Lowe’s a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $254.23. The company beat quarterly earnings-per-share estimates, while revenue came in slightly below consensus.

Candriam S.C.A. grew its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 25.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 71,455 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 14,331 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $13,217,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 40,545,728 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $8,939,928,000 after purchasing an additional 714,092 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,329,373 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $5,584,873,000 after acquiring an additional 880,815 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,104,782 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $905,063,000 after purchasing an additional 57,167 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 57.3% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,892,868 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $637,848,000 after purchasing an additional 1,053,237 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 1,646,320 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $388,992,000 after purchasing an additional 109,520 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on LOW. Evercore set a $190.00 target price on Lowe's Companies in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $255.00 to $245.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $275.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Monday, September 21st. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $245.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $267.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $254.23.

Lowe's Companies Trading Up 3.4%

Shares of LOW stock opened at $232.17 on Tuesday. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $178.45 and a 12-month high of $293.06. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $197.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $130.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.81.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.22 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $25.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.13 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 75.67% and a net margin of 7.34%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.33 earnings per share. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 21st were given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 21st. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.27%.

Lowe's Companies Company Profile

Lowe's Companies, Inc is a home improvement retailer serving homeowners, do-it-yourself customers and professional contractors. The company sells products for construction, maintenance, repair and renovation through its retail stores and online channels.

Its offerings include appliances, tools, hardware, lumber and building materials, paint, plumbing and electrical supplies, and products for lawn and garden. Lowe's also provides services such as installation and other project support.

Founded in 1921 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Lowe's has grown into a major retailer operating across the United States.

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