Ascent Group LLC Has $1.49 Million Stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW

Key Points

• Ascent Group LLC increased its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. by 47.9% in the first quarter, now owning 6,394 shares worth approximately $1.49 million.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on Lowe's, with target price estimates ranging from $242.00 to $300.00, and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".
• Lowe's recently reported $4.33 EPS for its last quarter, beating estimates, but announced a cut in its quarterly dividend to $0.012 per share.

Ascent Group LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 47.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,394 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,072 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $1,491,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe's Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC increased its position in Lowe's Companies by 60.0% in the 1st quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

LOW traded down $0.51 during trading on Friday, reaching $271.89. The company had a trading volume of 2,896,462 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,801,290. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.38 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The business's fifty day moving average price is $243.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $231.83. The company has a market cap of $152.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.34, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.87.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.09. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.20% and a negative return on equity of 52.02%. The firm had revenue of $23.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.10 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 22nd will be given a $0.012 dividend. This represents a $0.05 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 22nd. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is currently 39.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LOW has been the subject of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $253.00 to $242.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $269.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $240.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe's Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $284.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe's Companies

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 929 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.20, for a total value of $238,938.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,099 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,741,462.80. The trade was a 2.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brandon J. Sink sold 8,192 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.58, for a total transaction of $2,200,207.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,603 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,802,133.74. This represents a 27.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 92,931 shares of company stock worth $24,945,752. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

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.