EX-99.1 2 exhibit991-01312025.htm PRESS RELEASE Document


Exhibit 99.1
lowesgraphicimage01a.jpg
February 26, 2025
For 6:00 a.m. ET Release

LOWE’S REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER 2024 SALES AND EARNINGS RESULTS
— Comparable Sales Increased 0.2% —
— Diluted EPS of $1.99; Adjusted Diluted EPS1 of $1.93 —
— Provides Full Year 2025 Outlook —

MOORESVILLE, N.C., Feb. 26, 2025 – Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) today reported net earnings of $1.1 billion and diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.99 for the quarter ended Jan. 31, 2025, compared to diluted EPS of $1.77 in the fourth quarter of 2023. During the fourth quarter, the company recognized a $80 million pre-tax gain associated with the 2022 sale of the Canadian retail business. This positively impacted fourth quarter diluted EPS by $0.06. Excluding this gain, fourth quarter 2024 adjusted diluted EPS1 was $1.93.

Total sales for the quarter were $18.6 billion. Comparable sales for the quarter increased 0.2%, driven by high-single-digit Pro and online comparable sales, strong holiday performance, and rebuilding efforts in the wake of recent hurricanes, partially offset by continued near-term pressure in DIY discretionary spending.

“Our results this quarter were once again better-than-expected, as we continue to gain traction with our Total Home strategic initiatives,” said Marvin R. Ellison, Lowe’s chairman, president and CEO. “We remain confident in the long-term strength of the home improvement industry, and we are equally confident in our strategy to capitalize on the expected recovery. We are also pleased to award $80 million in discretionary bonuses to our frontline associates in recognition of their hard work and dedication to delivering excellent customer service.”

As of Jan. 31, 2025, Lowe’s operated 1,748 stores representing 195.0 million square feet of retail selling space.

Capital Allocation
With a disciplined focus on its best-in-class capital allocation program, the company continues to generate long-term, sustainable shareholder value. During the quarter, the company repurchased approximately 5.5 million shares for $1.4 billion, and it paid $650 million in dividends. For the fiscal year, the company returned $6.5 billion to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends.










1 Adjusted diluted earnings per share is a non-GAAP financial measure. Refer to the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures Reconciliation” section of this release for additional information, as well as reconciliations between the Company’s GAAP and non-GAAP financial results.




Lowe’s Business Outlook

The company is introducing its outlook for fiscal 2025, which reflects continued near-term uncertainty in the home improvement market.

Full Year 2025 Outlook
Total sales of $83.5 to $84.5 billion
Comparable sales expected to be flat to up +1% as compared to prior year
Operating income as a percentage of sales (operating margin) of 12.3% to 12.4%
Net interest expense of approximately $1.3 billion
Depreciation and Amortization expense of approximately $1.8 billion
Effective income tax rate of approximately 24.5%
Diluted earnings per share of approximately $12.15 to $12.40
Capital expenditures of approximately $2.5 billion


A conference call to discuss fourth quarter 2024 operating results is scheduled for today, Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 9 a.m. ET. The conference call will be available by webcast and can be accessed by visiting Lowe’s website at ir.lowes.com and clicking on Lowe’s Fourth Quarter 2024 Earnings Conference Call Webcast. Supplemental slides will be available approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of the conference call. A replay of the call will be archived at ir.lowes.com.

Lowe’s Companies, Inc.

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a FORTUNE® 50 home improvement company serving approximately 16 million customer transactions a week in the United States. With total fiscal year 2024 sales of more than $83 billion, Lowe’s operates over 1,700 home improvement stores and employs approximately 300,000 associates. Based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe’s supports the communities it serves through programs focused on creating safe, affordable housing, improving community spaces, helping to develop the next generation of skilled trade experts and providing disaster relief to communities in need. For more information, visit Lowes.com.


















Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements including words such as “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “plan”, “desire”, “project”, “estimate”, “intend”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would”, “may”, “strategy”, “potential”, “opportunity”, “outlook”, “scenario”, “guidance”, and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve, among other things, expectations, projections, and assumptions about future financial and operating results, objectives (including objectives related to environmental and social matters), business outlook, priorities, sales growth, shareholder value, capital expenditures, cash flows, the housing market, the home improvement industry, demand for products and services including customer acceptance of new offerings and initiatives, macroeconomic conditions and consumer spending, share repurchases, and Lowe’s strategic initiatives, including those relating to acquisitions and dispositions and the impact of such transactions on our strategic and operational plans and financial results. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and we can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements.

A wide variety of potential risks, uncertainties, and other factors could materially affect our ability to achieve the results either expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, changes in general economic conditions, such as volatility and/or lack of liquidity from time to time in U.S. and world financial markets and the consequent reduced availability and/or higher cost of borrowing to Lowe’s and its customers, slower rates of growth in real disposable personal income that could affect the rate of growth in consumer spending, inflation and its impacts on discretionary spending and on our costs, shortages, and other disruptions in the labor supply, interest rate and currency fluctuations, home price appreciation or decreasing housing turnover, age of housing stock, the availability of consumer credit and of mortgage financing, trade policy changes or additional tariffs, outbreaks of pandemics, fluctuations in fuel and energy costs, inflation or deflation of commodity prices, natural disasters, geopolitical or armed conflicts, acts of both domestic and international terrorism, and other factors that can negatively affect our customers.

Investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties, risks and potential events including, but not limited to, those described in “Item 1A - Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and as may be updated from time to time in Item 1A in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or other subsequent filings with the SEC. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update these statements other than as required by law.

LOW-IR
    
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Contacts:Shareholder/Analyst Inquiries:Media Inquiries:
Kate PearlmanSteve Salazar
704-775-3856steve.j.salazar@lowes.com
kate.pearlman@lowes.com







Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Current Earnings and Accumulated Deficit (Unaudited)
In Millions, Except Per Share and Percentage Data
Three Months EndedFiscal Year Ended
January 31, 2025February 2, 2024January 31, 2025February 2, 2024
Current EarningsAmount% SalesAmount% SalesAmount% SalesAmount% Sales
Net sales$18,553 100.00 $18,602 100.00 $83,674 100.00 $86,377 100.00 
Cost of sales12,456 67.14 12,576 67.60 55,797 66.68 57,533 66.61 
Gross margin6,097 32.86 6,026 32.40 27,877 33.32 28,844 33.39 
Expenses:
Selling, general and administrative3,822 20.59 3,897 20.95 15,682 18.74 15,570 18.02 
Depreciation and amortization445 2.40 442 2.38 1,729 2.07 1,717 1.99 
Operating income1,830 9.87 1,687 9.07 10,466 12.51 11,557 13.38 
Interest – net328 1.77 348 1.87 1,313 1.57 1,382 1.60 
Pre-tax earnings1,502 8.10 1,339 7.20 9,153 10.94 10,175 11.78 
Income tax provision 377 2.04 319 1.72 2,196 2.63 2,449 2.83 
Net earnings$1,125 6.06 $1,020 5.48 $6,957 8.31 $7,726 8.95 
Weighted average common shares outstanding – basic
562 574 567 582 
Basic earnings per common share (1)
$2.00 $1.77 $12.25 $13.23 
Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted
563 575 568 584 
Diluted earnings per common share (1)
$1.99 $1.77 $12.23 $13.20 
Cash dividends per share
$1.15 $1.10 $3.40 $4.35 
Accumulated Deficit
Balance at beginning of period$(13,993)$(15,744)$(15,637)$(14,862)
Net earnings1,125 1,020 6,957 7,726 
Cash dividends declared(645)(633)(2,578)(2,531)
Share repurchases(1,286)(280)(3,541)(5,970)
Balance at end of period$(14,799)$(15,637)$(14,799)$(15,637)
(1)    Under the two-class method, earnings per share is calculated using net earnings allocable to common shares, which is derived by reducing net earnings by the earnings allocable to participating securities. Net earnings allocable to common shares used in the basic and diluted earnings per share calculation were $1,122 million for the three months ended January 31, 2025, and $1,017 million for the three months ended February 2, 2024. Net earnings allocable to common shares used in the basic and diluted earnings per share calculation were $6,940 million for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2025, and $7,706 million for the fiscal year ended February 2, 2024.

Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited)
In Millions, Except Percentage Data
 Three Months EndedFiscal Year Ended
 January 31, 2025February 2, 2024January 31, 2025February 2, 2024
 Amount% SalesAmount% SalesAmount% SalesAmount% Sales
Net earnings$1,125 6.06 $1,020 5.48 $6,957 8.31 $7,726 8.95 
Cash flow hedges – net of tax(4)(0.02)(4)(0.02)(13)(0.02)(14)(0.02)
Foreign currency translation adjustments – net of tax
— — — — — 0.01 0.01 
Other
— — 0.01 — — 
Other comprehensive loss(4)(0.02)(2)(0.01)(12)(0.01)(7)(0.01)
Comprehensive income$1,121 6.04 $1,018 5.47 $6,945 8.30 $7,719 8.94 




Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)
In Millions, Except Par Value Data
January 31, 2025February 2, 2024
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents$1,761 $921 
Short-term investments 372 307 
Merchandise inventory – net17,409 16,894 
Other current assets816 949 
Total current assets20,358 19,071 
Property, less accumulated depreciation17,649 17,653 
Operating lease right-of-use assets3,738 3,733 
Long-term investments 277 252 
Deferred income taxes – net244 248 
Other assets836 838 
Total assets$43,102 $41,795 
Liabilities and shareholders' deficit
Current liabilities:
Current maturities of long-term debt$2,586 $537 
Current operating lease liabilities563 487 
Accounts payable9,290 8,704 
Accrued compensation and employee benefits 1,008 954 
Deferred revenue1,358 1,408 
Other current liabilities3,952 3,478 
Total current liabilities18,757 15,568 
Long-term debt, excluding current maturities 32,901 35,384 
Noncurrent operating lease liabilities3,628 3,737 
Deferred revenue – Lowe's protection plans1,268 1,225 
Other liabilities 779 931 
Total liabilities57,333 56,845 
Shareholders' deficit:
Preferred stock, $5 par value: Authorized – 5.0 million shares; Issued and outstanding – none— — 
Common stock, $0.50 par value: Authorized – 5.6 billion shares; Issued and outstanding – 560 million and 574 million, respectively280 287 
Accumulated deficit(14,799)(15,637)
Accumulated other comprehensive income288 300 
Total shareholders' deficit(14,231)(15,050)
Total liabilities and shareholders' deficit$43,102 $41,795 
  





Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)
In Millions
Fiscal Year Ended
January 31, 2025February 2, 2024
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net earnings$6,957 $7,726 
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization1,972 1,923 
Noncash lease expense520 499 
Deferred income taxes
Loss on property and other assets – net83 
Gain on sale of business(177)(79)
Share-based payment expense221 210 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Merchandise inventory – net(514)1,637 
Other operating assets93 182 
Accounts payable 633 (1,820)
Other operating liabilities(94)(2,227)
Net cash provided by operating activities9,625 8,140 
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of investments(1,286)(1,785)
Proceeds from sale/maturity of investments1,204 1,722 
Capital expenditures(1,927)(1,964)
Proceeds from sale of property and other long-term assets105 53 
Proceeds from sale of business177 100 
Other – net(11)(27)
Net cash used in investing activities(1,738)(1,901)
Cash flows from financing activities:  
Net change in commercial paper— (499)
Net proceeds from issuance of debt— 2,983 
Repayment of debt(545)(601)
Proceeds from issuance of common stock under share-based payment plans159 141 
Cash dividend payments(2,566)(2,531)
Repurchases of common stock(4,053)(6,138)
Other – net(42)(21)
Net cash used in financing activities(7,047)(6,666)
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents840 (427)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period921 1,348 
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period$1,761 $921 




Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliation (Unaudited)

Management of Lowe's Companies, Inc. (the Company) uses certain non-GAAP financial measures to provide additional insight for analysts and investors in evaluating the Company's financial and operating performance. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered alternatives to, or more meaningful indicators of, the Company's financial measures as prepared in accordance with GAAP. The Company's methods of determining these non-GAAP financial measures may differ from the methods used by other companies and may not be comparable.

For the three months ended January 31, 2025, the Company has presented the Non-GAAP financial measure of adjusted diluted earnings per share . This measure excludes the impact of a certain item, further described below, not contemplated in Lowe’s Business Outlook to assist analysts and investors in understanding operational performance for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024.

Fiscal 2024 Impacts
The Company recognized financial impacts from the following:

In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, the Company recognized pre-tax income of $80 million consisting of a realized gain on the contingent consideration associated with the fiscal 2022 sale of the Canadian retail business (Canadian retail business transaction).

Adjusted diluted earnings per share should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful indicator of, the Company’s diluted earnings per share as prepared in accordance with GAAP. The Company’s methods of determining non-GAAP financial measures may differ from the method used by other companies and may not be comparable.

A reconciliation between the Company’s GAAP and non-GAAP financial results is shown below and available on the Company’s website at ir.lowes.com.
Three Months Ended
January 31, 2025
Pre-Tax Earnings
Tax1
Net Earnings
Diluted earnings per share, as reported$1.99 
Non-GAAP adjustments per share impacts
Canadian retail business transaction(0.14)0.08 (0.06)
Adjusted diluted earnings per share$1.93 
1 Represents the tax benefit or expense related to the item excluded from adjusted diluted earnings per share.

1