Hilltop Holdings Inc. Trims Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Hilltop Holdings Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 26.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,820 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 2,798 shares during the quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,848,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $1,993,697,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 45.2% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,555,565 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,580,941,000 after acquiring an additional 2,039,343 shares during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 7,814.9% during the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 1,490,369 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $359,417,000 after acquiring an additional 1,471,539 shares during the period. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $308,683,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 56,230,787 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $13,560,617,000 after purchasing an additional 924,625 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on LOW. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $315.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $260.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $264.00 to $232.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $264.57.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was 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 $4,525,842.60. This trade 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 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 16,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,628,883.02. The trade was a 36.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 25,980 shares of company stock worth $5,796,937. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

NYSE LOW opened at $207.35 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $116.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.53, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.86. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $199.40 and a one year high of $293.06. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $215.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $240.22.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 7.51% and a negative return on equity of 67.96%. The company had revenue of $23.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.98 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.92 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies’s revenue for the quarter 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 22nd. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.27%.

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.