Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. Raises Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. grew its position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,272 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 413 shares during the period. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $1,415,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of LOW. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 119.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 31,965 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $7,889,000 after buying an additional 17,413 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 31.6% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,078 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 15.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,106 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,657,000 after acquiring an additional 944 shares during the period. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.5% in the first quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,341 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,712,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the period. Finally, Goldstone Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $206,000. 74.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of LOW opened at $232.28 on Monday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.38 and a twelve month high of $287.01. The company has a market cap of $130.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.88. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $254.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $234.42.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its 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. The business had revenue of $23.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.99 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.20% and a negative return on equity of 52.02%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.10 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.200-12.450 EPS. Analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 22nd will be issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 22nd. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.44%.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In other Lowe’s Companies news, CEO Marvin R. Ellison sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $65,772,256.30. This represents a 13.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Brandon J. Sink sold 8,192 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.58, for a total transaction of $2,200,207.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,603 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,802,133.74. The trade was a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 92,931 shares of company stock valued at $24,945,752. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on LOW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $275.00 to $250.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.13.

Lowe’s Companies Profile

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.