USS Investment Management Ltd Cuts Stock Holdings in Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW

Key Points

• USS Investment Management Ltd reduced its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. by 23.4%, now holding 87,376 shares valued at approximately $20.38 million.
• CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 40,000 shares for about $10.56 million, marking a 13.84% decrease in his ownership.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Lowe's stock, with an average target price of $284.13.

USS Investment Management Ltd lowered its position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 23.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 87,376 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 26,754 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $20,379,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Lowe's Companies by 60.0% in the 1st quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

LOW stock traded down $3.60 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $269.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,120,371 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,068,601. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $240.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $231.14. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.38 and a 1 year high of $287.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $151.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.14, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.87.

Lowe's Companies (NYSE:LOW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.24 by $0.09. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 52.02% and a net margin of 8.20%.The business had revenue of $23.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.10 earnings per share. The business's 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. As a group, analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe's Companies Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Lowe's Companies from $266.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Gordon Haskett upgraded Lowe's Companies to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Mizuho increased their target price on Lowe's Companies from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on Lowe's Companies from $269.00 to $294.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $284.13.

Insider Activity at Lowe's Companies

In other Lowe's Companies news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.10, for a total transaction of $10,564,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 249,043 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $65,772,256.30. This trade represents a 13.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 929 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.20, for a total transaction of $238,938.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 30,099 shares in the company, valued at $7,741,462.80. This trade represents a 2.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 49,121 shares of company stock worth $13,003,146 over the last three months. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.