Flputnam Investment Management Co. Decreases Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW

Key Points

• Flputnam Investment Management Co. has decreased its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. by 4.0%, owning 106,156 shares after selling 4,414 shares in the 1st quarter.
• The CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 40,000 shares valued at over $10 million, resulting in a 13.84% decrease in his position.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed reactions, with price targets ranging from $255 to $305, and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Lowe's stock.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. decreased its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 4.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 106,156 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 4,414 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $24,759,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 119.7% in the fourth 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 grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 31.6% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 16.8% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 107,854 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $26,618,000 after buying an additional 15,544 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $103,000. Finally, AXA S.A. grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 123,113 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $30,384,000 after buying an additional 11,070 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 249,043 shares in the company, valued at $65,772,256.30. This represents a 13.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 929 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.20, for a total transaction of $238,938.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,099 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,741,462.80. This represents a 2.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 42,059 shares of company stock valued at $11,060,014. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe's Companies Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE LOW opened at $258.54 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $234.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $230.34. The company has a market capitalization of $144.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.24, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.89. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.38 and a 1-year high of $287.01.

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

Lowe's Companies Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 5th. Investors 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%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LOW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Lowe's Companies from $266.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Barclays set a $267.00 target price on Lowe's Companies in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price target on Lowe's Companies from $240.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $284.13.

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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