State Street Corp Decreases Stock Position in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

State Street Corp cut its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,694,133 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 342,143 shares during the period. State Street Corp’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $5,955,237,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LOW. Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

LOW stock opened at $220.57 on Friday. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $203.40 and a 1 year high of $293.06. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $228.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $246.14. The firm has a market cap of $123.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.64, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.86.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.98 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.92 EPS. Lowe’s Companies’s 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, research analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be paid 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 an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LOW has been the subject of several research reports. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of 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. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $220.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, Craig Hallum upgraded Lowe’s Companies to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $264.57.

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.