What Does Lowe’s Mixed Report Mean Going Forward?

Photo of Chris Lange
By Chris Lange Published
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.
What Does Lowe’s Mixed Report Mean Going Forward?

© Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Lowe’s Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW) released its fiscal fourth-quarter financial results before the markets opened on Wednesday. The home improvement retailer said that it had $0.94 in earnings per share (EPS) and $16.0 billion in revenue, which compares with consensus estimates that called for $0.91 in EPS and $16.15 billion in revenue. In the same period of last year, Lowe’s said it had EPS of $0.80 on $15.65 billion in revenue.

During the latest quarter, comparable sales increased 2.5% year over year. Comparable sales specifically for the U.S. home improvement business increased by 2.6%.

At the end of the fiscal 2019 full year, Lowe’s operated 1,977 home improvement and hardware stores in the United States and Canada

Looking ahead to the 2020 fiscal full year, Lowe’s expects to see EPS in the range of $6.45 to $6.65 and total sales are expected to increase 2.5% to 3.0%. The consensus estimates are calling for $6.67 in EPS and $74.39 billion in revenue for the year.

Marvin R. Ellison, Lowe’s president and CEO, commented:

In the fourth quarter, we delivered profitability that exceeded our expectations given strong expense management, improving gross margin and enhanced process execution.  Our sales growth was driven almost entirely by our U.S. brick and mortar stores, supported by our investments in technology, store environment and the Pro business. We have a detailed road map in place to modernize our e-commerce platform and accelerate Lowes.com sales, which combined with the sales productivity improvement in our physical stores, underscores our opportunity to unlock additional growth.

[nativounit]

Lowe’s stock closed Tuesday at $118.52, in a 52-week range of $91.60 to $126.73. The consensus price target is $135.15. Following the announcement, the share price was up 1% at $120.25 in early trading indications Wednesday.

[recirclink id=647660]
[wallst_email_signup]

Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

Featured Reads

Our top personal finance-related articles today. Your wallet will thank you later.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

CBOE Vol: 1,568,143
PSKY Vol: 12,285,993
STX Vol: 7,378,346
ORCL Vol: 26,317,675
DDOG Vol: 6,247,779

Top Losing Stocks

LKQ
LKQ Vol: 4,367,433
CLX Vol: 13,260,523
SYK Vol: 4,519,455
MHK Vol: 1,859,865
AMGN Vol: 3,818,618