Strs Ohio Has $40.55 Million Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW

Key Points

• Strs Ohio trimmed its Lowe’s stake by 4.1% in the first quarter, selling 7,402 shares and ending with 171,605 shares valued at about $40.55 million.
• Analysts remain mostly positive on Lowe’s, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $264.57, even as some firms recently lowered or adjusted targets.
• Lowe’s reported solid quarterly results and raised its dividend, posting EPS of $3.03 on revenue of $23.08 billion and increasing its quarterly payout to $1.25 per share from $1.20.

Strs Ohio reduced its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 4.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 171,605 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 7,402 shares during the period. Strs Ohio's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $40,547,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in Lowe's Companies by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 630,956 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $152,161,000 after acquiring an additional 21,119 shares during the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Lowe's Companies by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 446,441 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $107,664,000 after acquiring an additional 25,609 shares in the last quarter. Glenview Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Glenview Trust Co now owns 207,797 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $50,112,000 after purchasing an additional 17,225 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe's Companies by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 993,332 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $239,552,000 after purchasing an additional 22,175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Econ Financial Services Corp increased its position in Lowe's Companies by 26.2% during the 1st quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 19,974 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $4,719,000 after purchasing an additional 4,147 shares in the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on LOW shares. Wolfe Research set a $254.00 target price on shares of Lowe's Companies in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Bank of America cut their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $260.00 to $257.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Benchmark initiated coverage on Lowe's Companies in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on Lowe's Companies from $303.00 to $281.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Craig Hallum upgraded shares of Lowe's Companies to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $264.57.

Insider Transactions at Lowe's Companies

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.81, for a total value of $2,097,477.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 16,142 shares in the company, valued at $3,628,883.02. This trade represents a 36.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of Lowe's Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.90, for a total transaction of $3,139,885.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 39,785 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,828,291.50. The trade was a 26.24% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 25,980 shares of company stock valued at $5,796,937 over the last ninety days. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

LOW stock opened at $227.26 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average is $221.70 and its 200-day moving average is $243.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $127.43 billion, a PE ratio of 19.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.86. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $203.40 and a 1 year high of $293.06.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 negative return on equity of 67.96% and a net margin of 7.51%.The business had revenue of $23.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.98 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.92 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate 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 issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is a positive change from Lowe's Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 42.27%.

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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