Legal & General Group Plc Lowers Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc trimmed its Lowe's stake by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, though it still held 3.75 million shares valued at about $904 million at quarter-end.
• Lowe's recently reported better-than-expected Q1 results, with EPS of $3.03 topping estimates and revenue rising 10.3% year over year to $23.08 billion. The company also kept its full-year outlook unchanged.
• Despite the earnings beat, analysts turned more cautious, with several lowering price targets and pointing to weak DIY demand, category pressure, rising rates, and cost inflation as risks to future growth.

Legal & General Group Plc decreased its position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,750,035 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 72,957 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.67% of Lowe's Companies worth $904,358,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 102.0% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,204,311 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,056,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,122,622 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 207.2% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,058,086 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $517,218,000 after purchasing an additional 1,388,133 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 56,230,787 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $13,560,617,000 after purchasing an additional 924,625 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 3,540.1% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 843,487 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $203,415,000 after purchasing an additional 820,315 shares during the period. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 243.2% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 1,116,945 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $247,817,000 after purchasing an additional 791,526 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Lowe's Companies

Here are the key news stories impacting Lowe's Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lowe's delivered better-than-expected Q1 results, with EPS of $3.03 beating estimates and revenue rising 10.3% year over year to $23.08 billion, suggesting the business is still executing well. LOW Q1 Deep Dive: Pro Segment, Online Growth, and AI Initiatives Drive Stable Performance
• Positive Sentiment: The company highlighted strength in its Pro segment, online growth, and new AI-driven tools for contractors, which could support sales and efficiency over time. Lowe's Boosts Pro Efficiency with AI-Driven Material Lists
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts still see upside, with several firms maintaining buy/overweight-style ratings despite trimming targets after the earnings release, indicating Street sentiment is cautious but not outright bearish.
• Neutral Sentiment: Lowe's kept its full-year outlook intact, which reassured investors that management is not seeing a major near-term breakdown in demand.
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock is also drawing attention to valuation discussions, with one article estimating fair value around $263 after the results, implying the shares may be approaching a more balanced risk/reward setup. US$263: That's What Analysts Think Lowe's Companies, Inc. Is Worth After Its Latest Results
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple analysts lowered price targets after the report, signaling concern that profit growth could remain constrained even though earnings beat estimates.
• Negative Sentiment: Banks including BofA and RBC pointed to weak DIY discretionary demand, category pressure, rising rates, and cost inflation as risks to Lowe's 2026 earnings outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Several articles noted the shares sold off after earnings and may take time to recover, reflecting investor skepticism about how quickly housing-market headwinds will ease. Lowe's Finds Support at $215 After Q1 Earnings Sell-Off

Lowe's Companies Stock Up 0.1%

Lowe's Companies stock opened at $215.29 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $234.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $248.11. The firm has a market cap of $120.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.20, a P/E/G ratio of 4.14 and a beta of 0.91. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $208.00 and a twelve month high of $293.06.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $23.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.98 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 67.96% and a net margin of 7.51%.Lowe's Companies's revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.92 earnings per share. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 12.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LOW shares. BTIG Research lowered Lowe's Companies to a "reduce" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Lowe's Companies from $320.00 to $270.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on Lowe's Companies from $228.00 to $202.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Evercore lowered their price target on Lowe's Companies from $250.00 to $230.00 in a report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Lowe's Companies from $292.00 to $277.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $264.57.

Lowe's Companies Company 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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