Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Sells 9,556 Shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW

Key Points

• Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. reduced its stake in Lowe's Companies by 20.4%, now holding 37,339 shares valued at approximately $8.71 million.
• Lowe's reported $4.33 EPS for the latest quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $4.24, but with a slight decrease in revenue compared to projections.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.012, with a yield of 0.0%, as part of its long-term financial strategies.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lowered its position in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 20.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 37,339 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 9,556 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.'s holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $8,709,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe's Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 60.0% in the first quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 929 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.20, for a total value of $238,938.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 30,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,741,462.80. The trade was a 2.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brandon J. Sink sold 8,192 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.58, for a total value of $2,200,207.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,603 shares in the company, valued at $5,802,133.74. This represents a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 49,121 shares of company stock valued at $13,003,146 in the last three months. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lowe's Companies Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of LOW traded up $6.01 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $272.56. The company had a trading volume of 2,253,358 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,716,010. The firm has a market cap of $152.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.40, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a fifty day moving average of $241.49 and a 200-day moving average of $231.38. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.38 and a 12 month high of $287.01.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $23.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.99 billion. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.20% and a negative return on equity of 52.02%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.10 earnings per share. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the subject of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $240.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target 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. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of Lowe's Companies in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $269.00 to $294.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $260.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.