Vertrix Wealth Management LLC Takes Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW

Key Points

• Vertrix Wealth Management LLC opened a new position in Lowe’s during the first quarter, buying 23,122 shares valued at about $5.46 million. The stake represents roughly 2% of the firm’s portfolio and is its 12th-largest holding.
• Lowe’s posted better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.03 versus estimates of $2.97 and revenue of $23.08 billion versus $22.98 billion expected. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.25 per share from $1.20.
• Insider selling continued, with EVP Juliette Williams Pryor and EVP Margrethe R. Vagell both selling shares in June. Meanwhile, analysts remain mostly constructive, with Lowe’s carrying a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $264.57.

Vertrix Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 23,122 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock, valued at approximately $5,463,000. Lowe's Companies comprises about 2.0% of Vertrix Wealth Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 12th largest holding.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Swiss RE Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Lowe's Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora boosted its position in Lowe's Companies by 52.5% during the fourth quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe's Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Lowe's Companies

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of Lowe's Companies 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 16,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,628,883.02. The trade was a 36.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.83, for a total value of $559,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,220 shares in the company, valued at $4,525,842.60. This represents a 11.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 25,980 shares of company stock worth $5,796,937. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup raised shares of Lowe's Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $285.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Raymond James Financial lowered Lowe's Companies from a "market perform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Lowe's Companies from $260.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings downgraded Lowe's Companies from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price objective on Lowe's Companies from $295.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $264.57.

Lowe's Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Lowe's Companies stock opened at $221.72 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $222.53 and a 200 day moving average of $244.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $124.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.74, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.86. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $23.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.98 billion. Lowe's Companies had a negative return on equity of 67.96% and a net margin of 7.51%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.92 EPS. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. Analysts forecast that Lowe's Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current year.

Lowe's Companies Increases Dividend

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

Lowe's Companies Profile

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LOW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.