Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW Shares Sold by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 9.1% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 120,693 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 12,152 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $28,517,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LOW. Swiss RE Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 52.5% in the fourth quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on LOW. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $275.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. BTIG Research downgraded Lowe’s Companies to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Gordon Haskett lowered their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $303.00 to $281.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $292.00 to $277.00 and set an “overweight” 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 given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $264.57.

Insider Activity

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $3,628,883.02. This represents a 36.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,525,842.60. The trade was a 11.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 25,980 shares of company stock worth $5,796,937 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $218.17 on Wednesday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $199.40 and a 1-year high of $293.06. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $215.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $239.73. The company has a market capitalization of $122.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.44, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.86.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $23.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.92 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.27%.

Lowe’s Companies Company 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.