Lowe’s Companies, Inc. LOW reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2024 results, with the top and bottom lines surpassing the Zack Consensus Estimate. While net sales declined marginally year over year, earnings improved from the year-ago period. The Mooresville, NC-based company posted comparable sales growth, ending its streak of declines.
LOW’s Quarterly Performance: Key Metrics and Insights
The home improvement retailer posted adjusted quarterly earnings of $1.93 per share, which came ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.83. The figure marked an improvement from earnings of $1.77 reported in the same period last year.
Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.
Net sales of $18,553 million surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $18,346 million but declined 0.3% year over year.
Comparable sales for the quarter increased 0.2%, showing an improvement from the 1.1% decline recorded in the third quarter. This improvement stems from high-single-digit growth in Pro and online comparable sales, strong holiday performance and post-hurricane rebuilding efforts, partly offset by continued softness in do-it-yourself discretionary spending. This performance outpaced our estimate of a 2.1% decline in comparable sales.
The gross profit increased 1.2% year over year to $6,097 million, while the gross margin expanded 50 basis points to 32.9%. We had expected a gross margin expansion of 30 basis points.
The operating income increased 8.5% to $1,830 million, while the operating margin expanded 80 basis points to 9.9%. We had envisioned a 30-basis point increase in the operating margin.
Lowe's Companies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Lowe's Companies, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Lowe's Companies, Inc. Quote
LOW’s Financial Health Snapshot
This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $1,761 million, long-term debt (excluding current maturities) of $32,901 million and shareholders’ deficit of $14,231 million.
For fiscal 2024, Lowe’s generated cash flow from operations of $9,625 million. During the quarter, the company executed a buyback of around 5.5 million shares, amounting to $1.4 billion.
A Sneak Peek Into LOW’s FY25 Outlook
Lowe’s fiscal 2025 guidance highlights continued near-term uncertainty in the home improvement market. Management anticipates total sales between $83.5 billion and $84.5 billion compared with $83.7 billion reported in fiscal 2024. Comparable sales are expected to be flat to up 1%. The adjusted operating margin is projected between 12.3% and 12.4%.
Lowe’s foresees adjusted earnings per share in the band of $12.15-$12.40. It anticipates capital expenditures of approximately $2.5 billion for fiscal 2025.
Lowe’s Stock Price Performance
Shares of Lowe’s have risen 1.3% in the past six months compared with the industry’s growth of 3.2%.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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