Align Financial LLC Makes New Investment in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Align Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 136,738 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $32,976,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 56,230,787 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $13,560,617,000 after buying an additional 924,625 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,036,276 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $6,291,867,000 after buying an additional 124,501 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,326,581 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,201,329,000 after buying an additional 887,579 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $1,993,697,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,830,080 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,716,467,000 after buying an additional 103,827 shares during the period. 74.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.90, for a total value 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 $8,828,291.50. The trade was a 26.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on LOW. Mizuho cut their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $294.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $228.00 to $202.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Argus lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $286.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $275.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $315.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $264.57.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 3.1%

LOW stock opened at $217.12 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $227.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $245.84. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $203.40 and a 1-year high of $293.06. The firm has a market cap of $121.74 billion, a PE ratio of 18.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.86.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $23.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.98 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.92 EPS. 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, analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 earnings per share 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 given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 22nd. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.57%.

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.