Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW Shares Sold by Gradient Investments LLC

Key Points

• Gradient Investments reduced its Lowe’s position by 30.8% in the third quarter, selling 42,814 shares and retaining 96,314 shares valued at approximately $17.75 million.
• Despite Gradient’s sale, several major institutions increased their holdings, and institutional investors collectively own 74.06% of Lowe’s outstanding stock.
• Lowe’s shares recently traded at $188.15, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $254.29; the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.25 per share, yielding about 2.7% annually.

Gradient Investments LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 30.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 96,314 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 42,814 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $17,750,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. BlackRock Inc. raised its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 40,545,728 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $8,939,928,000 after acquiring an additional 714,092 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 3.6% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,329,373 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $5,584,873,000 after purchasing an additional 880,815 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Lowe's Companies by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,029,665 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,212,954,000 after purchasing an additional 411,154 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 1.4% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,104,782 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $905,063,000 after purchasing an additional 57,167 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 57.3% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 2,892,868 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $637,848,000 after purchasing an additional 1,053,237 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

Shares of LOW traded up $6.61 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $188.15. The stock had a trading volume of 1,099,486 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,941,992. The firm has a market cap of $105.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $203.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $216.80. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $178.45 and a twelve month high of $293.06.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 19th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.22 by $0.18. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 75.67% and a net margin of 7.34%.The business had revenue of $25.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.13 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.33 earnings per share. Lowe's Companies's quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.250 EPS. Analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 12.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 21st will be given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 21st. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $255.00 to $254.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on Lowe's Companies from $261.00 to $254.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $275.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Monday, September 21st. Weiss Ratings lowered Lowe's Companies from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Melius Research set a $244.00 target price on Lowe's Companies in a research note on Tuesday. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $254.29.

Lowe's Companies Company Profile

Lowe's Companies, Inc is a home improvement retailer serving homeowners, renters, and professional contractors primarily in the United States. The company operates through a network of retail stores and digital channels, offering products and services for home repair, maintenance, remodeling, construction, and outdoor living.

Its merchandise includes appliances, tools, hardware, lumber, building materials, plumbing and electrical supplies, paint, flooring, kitchen and bath products, lighting, home décor, lawn and garden equipment, and seasonal goods.

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