Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Has $14.92 Million Holdings in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund decreased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 10.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 7,592 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Lowe’s Companies were worth $14,920,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 0.5% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Rather & Kittrell Inc. grew 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 last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,947 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $711,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 4.3% in the fourth 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 lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE now owns 3,723 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $898,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on LOW shares. KeyCorp dropped their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $320.00 to $270.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $278.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Gordon Haskett lowered their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Lowe’s Companies from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $264.57.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lowe’s Companies news, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 39,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,828,291.50. This trade represents a 26.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 2,500 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.83, for a total transaction of $559,575.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,220 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,525,842.60. The trade was a 11.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 25,980 shares of company stock valued at $5,796,937. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $216.00 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $121.11 billion, a PE ratio of 18.26, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.86. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $203.40 and a 12 month high of $293.06. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $217.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $241.80.

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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.98 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.92 earnings per share. The company’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. Analysts predict that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $1.25 per share. 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 (DPR) is currently 40.57%.

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.