J. Stern & Co. LLP Buys 1,471,539 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW

Key Points

• J. Stern & Co. LLP dramatically increased its Lowe’s stake by 7,814.9% in the fourth quarter, buying 1,471,539 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 1,490,369 shares worth about $359.4 million.
• Lowe’s recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $3.03 versus the $2.97 estimate and revenue of $23.08 billion versus $22.98 billion expected, while also raising full-year FY2026 EPS guidance to $12.25-$12.75.
• The company boosted its dividend to $1.25 per share quarterly, up from $1.20, which implies an annualized dividend of $5.00 and a yield of about 2.2%.

J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 7,814.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,490,369 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after buying an additional 1,471,539 shares during the period. J. Stern & Co. LLP owned about 0.27% of Lowe's Companies worth $359,417,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 630,956 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $152,161,000 after purchasing an additional 21,119 shares during the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 446,441 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $107,664,000 after purchasing an additional 25,609 shares during the last quarter. Glenview Trust Co grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Glenview Trust Co now owns 207,797 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $50,112,000 after purchasing an additional 17,225 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 993,332 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $239,552,000 after purchasing an additional 22,175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 17.7% in the fourth quarter. CX Institutional now owns 31,380 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $7,568,000 after purchasing an additional 4,711 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $275.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Gordon Haskett cut their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $280.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Craig Hallum raised shares of Lowe's Companies to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $264.57.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

Shares of LOW opened at $223.88 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $125.53 billion, a PE ratio of 18.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.86. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $203.40 and a 1-year high of $293.06. The company's fifty day moving average price is $228.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $246.01.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $23.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.98 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 7.51% and a negative return on equity of 67.96%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.92 earnings per share. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 22nd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.57%.

Lowe's Companies Profile

Lowe's Companies, Inc is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and digital channels serving both do-it-yourself homeowners and professional contractors. The company offers a broad assortment of products including building materials, lumber, appliances, tools and hardware, plumbing and electrical supplies, paint, flooring, kitchen and bath fixtures, outdoor and garden products, and home decor. Lowe's also provides a range of services such as installation, home improvement financing, tool and equipment rental, and contractor-focused sales programs.

Operations are centered on a nationwide brick-and-mortar store network supported by distribution centers and an e-commerce platform that enables online ordering, delivery and in-store pickup.

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