Candriam S.C.A. Lowers Stock Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. reduced its stake in Lowe's by 10.3%, owning 88,152 shares valued at approximately $21.17 million after the sale.
• Lowe's reported an EPS of $4.33 for the recent quarter, beating expectations and a 1.6% increase in quarterly revenue compared to the same quarter last year.
• The company announced a dividend increase to $1.20 per share, representing a 1.9% yield, with a payout ratio of 39.77%.

Candriam S.C.A. cut its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 10.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 88,152 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 10,127 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $21,166,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 60.0% in the 1st quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

LOW traded up $7.9280 during trading on Friday, reaching $263.5780. The stock had a trading volume of 3,795,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,175,845. The stock has a market cap of $147.72 billion, a PE ratio of 21.66, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.89. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $206.38 and a one year high of $287.01. The business has a 50-day moving average of $230.09 and a 200-day moving average of $230.20.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.09. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 52.02% and a net margin of 8.20%.The firm had revenue of $23.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.99 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.10 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 23rd were given a $1.20 dividend. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 23rd. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is presently 39.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 40,000 shares of Lowe's Companies stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 249,043 shares in the company, valued at $65,772,256.30. This trade represents a 13.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 1,130 shares of Lowe's Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.50, for a total transaction of $257,075.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,256,795. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $269.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $243.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group upped their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Thursday. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $284.33.

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.