Leibman Financial Services Inc. Sells 1,662 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW

Key Points

• Leibman Financial Services Inc. has reduced its stake in Lowe's Companies by 13.9%, selling 1,662 shares and now holding 10,279 shares, valued at approximately $2,281,000.
• CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 40,000 shares for around $10.56 million, reflecting a 13.84% decrease in his ownership.
• Several analysts recently upgraded their target prices for Lowe's, with the highest being $325.00, indicating a strong outlook and an average consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Leibman Financial Services Inc. trimmed its position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 13.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,279 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 1,662 shares during the period. Lowe's Companies accounts for about 1.8% of Leibman Financial Services Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Leibman Financial Services Inc.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $2,281,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LOW. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 17,413 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Lowe's Companies by 31.6% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the period. State of Wyoming boosted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 677.1% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,088 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $269,000 after buying an additional 948 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 24.7% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 42,900 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $10,588,000 after buying an additional 8,500 shares during the period. Finally, Twinbeech Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $14,130,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW traded down $1.89 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $265.68. The company had a trading volume of 4,079,028 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,502,386. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $247.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $232.57. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.38 and a 12 month high of $287.01. The firm has a market cap of $149.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.83, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.87.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $23.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.10 earnings per share. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.012 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 22nd. This represents a $0.05 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.0%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.44%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 929 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 trade represents a 2.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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 transaction of $10,564,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 249,043 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $65,772,256.30. This represents a 13.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 92,931 shares of company stock worth $24,945,752. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the subject of several analyst reports. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $240.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Lowe's Companies from $266.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $266.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $285.08.

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.