California Public Employees Retirement System Decreases Stock Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

California Public Employees Retirement System lessened its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 4.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,589,184 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 71,566 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned about 0.28% of Lowe’s Companies worth $375,492,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LOW. Swiss RE Ltd. bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora lifted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Sankala Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter worth $34,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,220 shares in the company, valued at $4,525,842.60. This represents a 11.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 26.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 25,980 shares of company stock valued at $5,796,937. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

NYSE LOW opened at $208.57 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $217.04 and its 200 day moving average is $241.57. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $203.40 and a fifty-two week high of $293.06. The company has a market capitalization of $116.95 billion, a PE ratio of 17.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.86.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 analysts’ expectations of $22.98 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.92 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current 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 issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 40.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LOW has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $325.00 to $279.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings cut Lowe’s Companies from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $303.00 to $281.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $294.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $264.57.

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.