KBC Group NV Sells 145,004 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

KBC Group NV lowered its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 45.5% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 173,698 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 145,004 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $41,042,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LOW. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 56,230,787 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $13,560,617,000 after acquiring an additional 924,625 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,036,276 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $6,291,867,000 after acquiring an additional 124,501 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,326,581 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,201,329,000 after purchasing an additional 887,579 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,993,697,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.5% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,830,080 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,716,467,000 after purchasing an additional 103,827 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on LOW. BTIG Research cut Lowe’s Companies to a “reduce” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $228.00 to $202.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings cut Lowe’s Companies from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $235.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price 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. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $264.57.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of LOW stock opened at $204.76 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $114.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $216.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $241.29. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $203.40 and a 1 year high of $293.06.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $23.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.98 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.92 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. Analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is an increase 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 40.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.90, for a total transaction of $3,139,885.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 39,785 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,828,291.50. This represents a 26.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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 transaction of $2,097,477.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 16,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,628,883.02. This represents a 36.63% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 25,980 shares of company stock worth $5,796,937. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

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.