Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW Shares Purchased by Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,153 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 513 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $2,253,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LOW. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 119.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 31,965 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $7,889,000 after purchasing an additional 17,413 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 28.5% during the 1st quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 1,321 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $305,000. Finally, Retirement Planning Group LLC raised its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 19.4% during the 1st quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $246.24 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $253.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $234.08. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.38 and a 1-year high of $287.01. The stock has a market cap of $138.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.88.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.33 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $23.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.10 EPS. The business’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. Equities analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 22nd will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 22nd. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 39.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on LOW shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $266.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lowe’s Companies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $285.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 929 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.20, for a total transaction of $238,938.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 30,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,741,462.80. This trade represents a 2.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.10, for a total transaction of $10,564,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 249,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,772,256.30. The trade was a 13.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 92,931 shares of company stock worth $24,945,752. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

About Lowe’s Companies

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.