Vident Advisory LLC Increases Stock Position in Lowe's Companies, Inc. $LOW

Key Points

• Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Lowe's Companies by 16.2% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 11,006 shares, which brings their total ownership to 79,085 shares valued at approximately $18.4 million.
• Lowe's Companies reported earnings of $4.33 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, with a quarter revenue of $23.96 billion, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 1.6%.
• The company announced a new quarterly dividend of $1.20, which represents a 1.9% dividend yield and is an increase from its previous dividend of $1.15.

Vident Advisory LLC grew its stake in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW - Free Report) by 16.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 79,085 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after buying an additional 11,006 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in Lowe's Companies were worth $18,446,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Lowe's Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe's Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lowe's Companies by 60.0% in the 1st quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Price Performance

LOW stock traded up $0.53 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $258.59. 1,782,707 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,706,982. Lowe's Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.38 and a 1 year high of $287.01. The firm's 50 day moving average is $235.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $230.23. The stock has a market cap of $145.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.87.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.09. Lowe's Companies had a net margin of 8.20% and a negative return on equity of 52.02%. The company had revenue of $23.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.10 EPS. Lowe's Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Lowe's Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.012 per share. This represents a $0.05 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 22nd. Lowe's Companies's dividend payout ratio is 39.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LOW shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Lowe's Companies from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $253.00 to $242.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $266.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Lowe's Companies from $243.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe's Companies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $284.13.

Insider Activity

In other 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 249,043 shares of the company's stock, valued at $65,772,256.30. This trade represents a 13.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Lowe's Companies Profile

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.