Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW Stock Position Reduced by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Key Points

• Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its Lowe’s stake by 10.7% in the first quarter, selling 7,592 shares and leaving it with 63,145 shares valued at about $14.9 million.
• Insider selling was notable, with EVP Juliette Williams Pryor and EVP Margrethe R. Vagell both trimming their holdings; insiders sold 25,980 shares worth about $5.8 million over the last 90 days.
• Lowe’s beat earnings expectations in its latest quarter, reporting $3.03 EPS on $23.08 billion in revenue, and also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.25 per share from $1.20.

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund decreased its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 10.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,145 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 7,592 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $14,920,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,070 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $2,143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,101 shares in the last quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 12.8% during the 1st quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,952 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $934,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Opinicus Capital Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Opinicus Capital Inc. now owns 5,608 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,325,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 155,938 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $36,845,000 after buying an additional 8,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sigma Planning Corp increased its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 1.1% in the first quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 20,899 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $4,938,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Lowe's Companies

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.81, for a total transaction of $2,097,477.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 16,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,628,883.02. This trade represents a 36.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.83, for a total transaction of $559,575.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,220 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,525,842.60. This trade represents a 11.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 25,980 shares of company stock worth $5,796,937. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on LOW. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Lowe's Companies from $264.00 to $232.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Wolfe Research set a $254.00 price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Lowe's Companies from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $293.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Lowe's Companies from $315.00 to $275.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $264.57.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

Shares of Lowe's Companies stock opened at $216.00 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $121.11 billion, a PE ratio of 18.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.86. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $217.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $241.80. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $203.40 and a fifty-two week high of $293.06.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.06. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 7.51% and a negative return on equity of 67.96%. The business had revenue of $23.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.98 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.92 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. Analysts expect that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is a boost from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.57%.

About Lowe's Companies

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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