Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW Shares Purchased by Markel Group Inc.

Markel Group Inc. grew its holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 0.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 738,480 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Lowe’s Companies accounts for approximately 1.5% of Markel Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Markel Group Inc.’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $174,488,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,969 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,959,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. Rather & Kittrell Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Rather & Kittrell Inc. now owns 10,379 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,947 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $711,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC now owns 945 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE now owns 3,723 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $898,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.90, for a total transaction of $3,139,885.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.81, for a total value of $2,097,477.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 16,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,628,883.02. The trade was a 36.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 25,980 shares of company stock valued at $5,796,937 in the last quarter. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LOW traded down $1.31 during trading on Friday, hitting $211.69. 2,164,000 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,675,786. The company has a market cap of $118.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.89, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.86. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $203.40 and a 1 year high of $293.06. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $219.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $242.73.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 7.51% and a negative return on equity of 67.96%. The business had revenue of $23.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.92 EPS. The business’s 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. On average, research analysts forecast 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 40.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. HSBC cut their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $260.00 to $220.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $320.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $295.00 to $280.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $264.00 to $232.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.57.

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.