Lafayette Investments Inc. Sells 1,637 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW

Key Points

• Lafayette Investments Inc. reduced its stake in Lowe's Companies by 3.5%, selling 1,637 shares, but still holds 45,432 shares valued at approximately $10.08 million.
• Lowe's reported $4.33 EPS for its last quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates, with revenue of $23.96 billion, reflecting a 1.6% year-over-year increase.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, set to be paid on November 5th, which translates to a 2.0% dividend yield.

Lafayette Investments Inc. lowered its position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 45,432 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 1,637 shares during the period. Lowe's Companies accounts for about 2.0% of Lafayette Investments Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Lafayette Investments Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $10,080,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have 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 valued at $7,889,000 after buying an additional 17,413 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 31.6% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Lowe's Companies by 15.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,106 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,657,000 after acquiring an additional 944 shares in the last quarter. Advisor Resource Council acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $419,000. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $840,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LOW opened at $242.50 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $136.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.88. The company's 50-day moving average is $255.26 and its 200 day moving average is $234.91. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.38 and a fifty-two week high of $282.70.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $23.99 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.20% and a negative return on equity of 52.02%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.10 earnings per share. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $269.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $240.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $282.91.

Insider Transactions at Lowe's Companies

In other Lowe's Companies news, EVP Brandon J. Sink sold 8,192 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.58, for a total value of $2,200,207.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,603 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,802,133.74. This trade represents a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,741,462.80. The trade was a 2.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 92,931 shares of company stock valued at $24,945,752 in the last three months. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

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