Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW Shares Acquired by IFM Investors Pty Ltd

Key Points

• IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. by 1.4%, owning 109,366 shares valued at approximately $25.5 million after acquiring additional shares in the 1st quarter.
• Lowe's Companies recently reported earnings of $4.33 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, with a revenue of $23.96 billion for the quarter.
• Despite a recent 1.3% drop in stock price, analysts maintain positive ratings for Lowe's, with a consensus price target of about $284.13.

IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 1.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 109,366 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 1,559 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $25,507,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Rock Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe's Companies by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Blue Rock Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,073 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $950,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies during the first quarter worth $59,000. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies during the first quarter worth $207,000. Integrity Alliance LLC. grew its position in Lowe's Companies by 610.0% during the first quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. now owns 15,222 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $3,550,000 after buying an additional 13,078 shares during the period. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $2,639,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Stock Down 0.2%

Lowe's Companies stock traded down $0.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $271.89. 2,896,462 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,801,290. The company has a market cap of $152.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.87. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.38 and a twelve month high of $287.01. The company has a fifty day moving average of $243.26 and a 200-day moving average of $231.83.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.09. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.20% and a negative return on equity of 52.02%. The company had revenue of $23.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.10 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue 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 expect that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 22nd will be issued a $0.012 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 22nd. This represents a $0.05 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.0%. Lowe's Companies's payout ratio is presently 39.44%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 40,000 shares of the business'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 value of $10,564,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 249,043 shares of the company's stock, valued at $65,772,256.30. The trade was a 13.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 929 shares of the business'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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 30,099 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,741,462.80. This represents a 2.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 92,931 shares of company stock worth $24,945,752 in the last ninety days. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $280.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $243.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $266.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $264.00 to $283.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $284.13.

About Lowe's Companies

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.