Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW Shares Sold by Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB

Key Points

• Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB trimmed its stake in Lowe's by 16.8% in Q3, selling 12,573 shares and leaving 62,287 shares valued at about $15.65 million.
• Analysts have been upwardly revising estimates—multiple firms raised price targets and ratings, leaving the stock with a consensus "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $289.76 (21 Buys, 9 Holds).
• Insider activity: CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 18,000 shares for roughly $4.70 million (a 7.23% reduction in his position), while insiders overall own about 0.27% of the company.

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB reduced its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 62,287 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 12,573 shares during the quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $15,653,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 0.6% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 55,306,162 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $13,898,992,000 after buying an additional 329,807 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Lowe's Companies by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,036,276 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $6,291,867,000 after acquiring an additional 124,501 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Lowe's Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,773,624,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,830,080 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,716,467,000 after acquiring an additional 103,827 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Lowe's Companies by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,830,373 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,213,921,000 after acquiring an additional 240,123 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $272.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $283.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Argus boosted their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $286.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $289.76.

Insider Activity at Lowe's Companies

In other news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 18,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.17, for a total transaction of $4,701,060.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 231,043 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $60,341,500.31. This trade represents a 7.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Trading Down 0.9%

Lowe's Companies stock opened at $239.82 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $268.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $253.87. The stock has a market cap of $134.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.26 and a beta of 0.98. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.38 and a 12-month high of $293.06.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $20.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.34 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 61.40% and a net margin of 7.71%.Lowe's Companies's quarterly revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.93 earnings per share. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.75 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies 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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