Markel Group Inc. Raises Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Markel Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 738,480 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,000 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies comprises 1.5% of Markel Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Markel Group Inc. owned approximately 0.13% of Lowe’s Companies worth $174,488,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora lifted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 52.5% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Sankala Group LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Shares of LOW traded down $1.31 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $211.69. The company had a trading volume of 2,164,000 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,675,786. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $203.40 and a 1 year high of $293.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $118.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.86. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $219.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $242.73.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.06. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 7.51% and a negative return on equity of 67.96%. The firm had revenue of $23.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.92 earnings per share. 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. Equities analysts predict 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is presently 40.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.83, for a total transaction of $559,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,525,842.60. The trade was a 11.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,628,883.02. This represents a 36.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 25,980 shares of company stock worth $5,796,937. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on LOW. BTIG Research downgraded Lowe’s Companies to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $260.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $315.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $228.00 to $202.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.57.

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.