First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Decreases Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW

Key Points

• First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. has decreased its stake in Lowe's Companies by 12.2%, reducing its holdings to 41,863 shares worth approximately $9.3 million.
• Insider selling has been significant, with Joseph Michael Mcfarland selling over 43,000 shares, and CEO Marvin R. Ellison selling 40,000 shares, both resulting in notable decreases in their ownership percentages.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Lowe's Companies, with a price target range reflecting an optimistic outlook on its stock performance in the upcoming fiscal year.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. reduced its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 12.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,863 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 5,843 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $9,288,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies in the first quarter valued at $32,000. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies during the first quarter worth about $38,000. JNBA Financial Advisors increased its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 147.1% in the first quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 168 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 34.2% during the 1st quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC now owns 196 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Lowe's Companies

In related news, EVP Joseph Michael Mcfarland sold 43,810 shares of Lowe's Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $272.60, for a total value of $11,942,606.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 66,566 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,145,891.60. The trade was a 39.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.10, for a total value of $10,564,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 249,043 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $65,772,256.30. This represents a 13.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 92,931 shares of company stock valued at $24,945,752. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOW has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Lowe's Companies from $243.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Piper Sandler upped 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, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $282.91.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW opened at $242.51 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $136.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.88. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $206.38 and a one year high of $280.64. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $255.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $235.04.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted 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 negative return on equity of 52.02% and a net margin of 8.20%.The company had revenue of $23.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.10 EPS. The firm's quarterly 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, equities research analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 22nd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.44%.

Lowe's Companies Company 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.

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