Lowe's is the second-largest home improvement retailer globally, with 1,761 stores in the US, after the 2023 divestiture of its Canadian locations.
It is a $104B consumer company. Revenue shrank 13.8% over the last year, it keeps 8¢ of every dollar of sales as profit, and its net debt equals ~1.7 years of free cash flow. It trades at 15.7× earnings — in the cheapest third of its own history.
- Website
- lowes.com
- Location
- Mooresville, NC
- Employees
- 276 000
- Sector
- Consumer Cyclical
- Founded
- 1952
Skills
Six independent scores, 0–100, built from reported numbers and valuation history. Click a row to see how it was scored.
Strong valuation, quality and moat; Growth and Health lag behind.
Valuation95
- P/E vs own history11th pct · 25/25
- FCF yield21.4% · 25/25
- P/S1.2x · 25/25
- EV/EBITDA11.1x · 20/25
Growth11
- Revenue CAGR-2.9% · 0/25
- Net income CAGR0.8% · 6/25
- EPS CAGR ~5Y-20.1% · 0/25
- Fwd implied growth2.0% · 5/25
Profitability70
- ROIC17.9% · 20/25
- ROE264.5% · 25/25
- Net margin7.9% · 13/25
- Operating margin11.4% · 12/25
Health48
- Altman Z2.06 · 18/25
- Current ratio1.10 · 12/25
- Interest coverage7.3x · 18/25
- Net cash / debtD/A 70% · 0/25
Quality85
- Piotroski F4/9 · 10/25
- Beneish M-3.07 · 25/25
- FCF conversion116% · 25/25
- Margin stabilityσ 1.9% · 25/25
Moat81
- ROIC >12% years12/12 yrs · 25/25
- Median gross margin33.4% · 13/25
- FCF-positive years12/12 yrs · 25/25
- Worst-year net marginworst 7.2% · 18/25
Experience
The company's career so far — founding, the IPO, landmark products and acquisitions, plus revenue milestones and insider buying.
- 2025AcquisitionLowe's agreed to acquire Foundation Building Materials for $8.8 billion in cash in August 2025, purchasing the home…
- FY2021FinancialBest year on record$23.3B net income
- FY2020FinancialRevenue crossed $100B$226B for the year
- FY2016FinancialProfitable every year on record12 consecutive profitable years in our data
- FY2016FinancialRevenue already above $50B$65.0B in first reported year
- FY2016FinancialPositive free cash flow every year since12-year streak
- 1989MilestoneLowe's is the second-largest hardware chain in the United States (previously the largest in the U.S
- 1952FoundedBuchan became the sole owner of Lowe's, and the company was incorporated as Lowe's North Wilkesboro Hardware
Achievements
Verifiable track record, straight from the reported numbers.
Strengths & watch-outs
What a bull and a bear would each point to. Both lists come from the reported numbers, not opinions.
Strengths
- Interest covered 7.3× by operating earnings
- High returns on invested capital (ROIC 17.9%)
Watch-outs
- Revenue shrinking 13.8% year over year
- Net debt would take ~5.1 years of free cash flow to repay
Qualifications
The basics a company should meet before you research it further. Each check uses the reported numbers.
- Revenue growing — the company sells more than a year ago-13.8% YoY
- Profitable — makes more than it spends$16.3B TTM
- Profit growing — earnings are higher than last year+5.2% YoY
- Generates cash — cash left after running and investing$22.4B TTM
- Debt under control — could handle its obligations~1.7y of cash flow to repay
- Established company — not a micro-cap — lower blow-up risk$104B market cap
- Not printing shares — share count not ballooning — you keep your slice-11.4% shares over ~5y
- Proven track record — years of profitability behind it12/12 profitable years
- Financially stable — balance sheet not near distressAltman Z 2.1 — grey
- Pays a dividend — returns cash to shareholdersyield 2.58%
- Valuation not extreme — price not wildly above earningsP/E 15.7
Peer comparisonLowe's Companies Inc. vs 6 largest consumer cyclical peers — cap, P/E, growth and margin side by sideOpen ▾Close ▴
| Company | Market cap | P/E | Revenue growth | Net margin | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW this company | $104.4B | 15.7 | -13.8% | 7.9% | Mixed |
| AMZN Amazon.Com Inc | $2.8T | 20.9 | +15.8% | 17.4% | Mixed |
| TSLA Tesla, Inc. | $1.5T | 397.1 | +11.8% | 3.7% | Strong |
| NFLX NetFlix Inc | $292.8B | 21.4 | +16.0% | 28.2% | Solid |
| HD Home Depot, Inc. | $290.4B | 20.4 | -16.0% | 8.7% | Solid |
| DIS The Walt Disney Company | $186.5B | 21.7 | +4.6% | 8.7% | Solid |
| MCD McDonald's Corporation | $166.9B | 18.9 | +6.3% | 31.7% | Strained |
Head-to-head: LOW vs AMZN · LOW vs TSLA · LOW vs NFLX
References
What covering analysts publish about the company — information only, not a recommendation.
Appendix · Financial records
The full statements behind this CV, FY2016–FY2027. For readers who want to check the numbers.
Live data and quarterly detail: stockcv.com/LOW
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Deeper analysis of LOW on PreMarketPriceFigures are derived from company filings (quarterly values normalised from as-filed year-to-date data where applicable) and may be delayed, restated or incomplete. This page is information, not investment advice. Latest price $186.06 · market cap $104B.