Bollard Group LLC Grows Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Bollard Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 22.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 37,563 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,868 shares during the period. Bollard Group LLC’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $8,876,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LOW. Swiss RE Ltd. bought a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 52.5% during 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 acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

NYSE LOW opened at $207.35 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $116.26 billion, a PE ratio of 17.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.86. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $215.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $240.22. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $199.40 and a 1-year high of $293.06.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.97 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $23.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.98 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 67.96% and a net margin of 7.51%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.92 EPS. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. 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. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is currently 42.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Juliette Williams Pryor sold 9,330 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 16,142 shares in the company, valued at $3,628,883.02. The trade was a 36.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 39,785 shares in the company, valued at $8,828,291.50. This represents a 26.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 25,980 shares of company stock worth $5,796,937 over the last 90 days. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LOW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup raised Lowe’s Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. William Blair started coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $264.00 to $232.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective 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. Twenty-three equities 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.