Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW Shares Sold by Aberdeen Group plc

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc has reduced its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. by 15.1%, selling 107,291 shares and now owning approximately 0.11% of the company, valued at $140.15 million.
• Lowe's Companies recently reported earnings of $2.92 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, but their quarterly revenue of $20.93 billion fell short of the $21.09 billion estimate.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, up from the previous $1.15, offering an annualized yield of 1.9%.

Aberdeen Group plc decreased its position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 15.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 605,289 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 107,291 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.11% of Lowe's Companies worth $140,149,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the first quarter worth about $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the first quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 60.0% during the first quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Lowe's Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total value of $257,075.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Trading Up 0.5%

LOW stock traded up $1.1870 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $257.5470. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,052,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,697,440. The stock has a market cap of $144.34 billion, a PE ratio of 21.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.89. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.38 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The company's 50 day moving average is $227.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $230.16.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.25 by $0.08. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.22% and a negative return on equity of 49.12%. The business's revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.10 earnings per share. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd were given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 23rd. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on LOW. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $285.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $253.00 to $242.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $271.68.

Lowe's Companies Profile

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.