Lowe's plans to provide millions in financial support to small businesses in North Carolina that were hit hard by Hurricane Helene, helping them recover during the holiday season after federal relief temporarily dried up. The $2.5 million fund will provide grants directly to small businesses in the state. It will also provide support to local business development organizations in advancing their work to help businesses navigate disaster relief aid. The fund is part of the company's $12 million pledge to sup ...

Core Viewpoint - Analysts project that Lowe's will report quarterly earnings of $2.81 per share, reflecting an 8.2% decline year over year, with revenues expected to reach $19.95 billion, down 2.6% from the same quarter last year [1]. Earnings Estimates - Over the last 30 days, there has been a 0.6% upward revision in the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter, indicating a collective reconsideration by covering analysts [2]. - Revisions to earnings estimates are significant indicators for predicting potential investor actions regarding the stock, with empirical research showing a strong correlation between earnings estimate trends and short-term stock price performance [3]. Key Metrics - Analysts estimate the total number of stores for Lowe's to be 1,746, unchanged from the previous year [5]. - The projected total sales floor square footage is 194.96 million, slightly down from 195 million reported in the same quarter last year [5]. - The average store size selling square feet is expected to be 111.88 thousand, compared to 112 thousand in the same quarter last year [6]. Stock Performance - Shares of Lowe's have decreased by 4.1% over the past month, contrasting with a 3.1% increase in the Zacks S&P 500 composite [6]. - Lowe's holds a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), suggesting it is expected to mirror overall market performance in the near future [6].

Core Points - Lowe's is launching a $2 million recovery fund to support small businesses in Western North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene, providing 100 grants of $20,000 each [1][6] - The fund will be managed by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and grant applications will open on November 18 [2][6] - Lowe's commitment to the community includes hosting local events during Thanksgiving to assist impacted restaurants and artisans [3] Group 1 - The recovery fund aims to address urgent needs such as payroll, rent, and equipment replacement for small businesses [1] - Lowe's will distribute 3,000 family-style Thanksgiving meals from local caterers to support over 12,000 people in affected communities [4] - On Small Business Saturday, Lowe's will host a Holiday Pop-Up event for local artisans, providing $1,000 grants to help replenish their supplies [5] Group 2 - The initiatives are part of Lowe's broader $12 million pledge for relief and recovery efforts following the hurricanes [6] - Donations have also been made to support first responders and local nonprofits, including a $750,000 grant for veterans housing [6] - Lowe's operates over 1,700 home improvement stores and serves approximately 16 million customer transactions weekly, with total sales exceeding $86 billion in fiscal year 2023 [8]

Retail Sector Overview - Corporate earnings are expected to decline next week, but several major retailers are set to report earnings following upcoming retail sales data [1] - Home Depot reported better-than-expected third-quarter results and raised its guidance, becoming a highlight in the retail sector [1] Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT) - Walmart is scheduled to announce earnings before the market opens on November 19 [2] - The stock has shown positive performance, finishing higher after six of its last eight quarterly reports, including the last three [2] - As of the latest update, Walmart's stock was up 1.3% at $85.29, having reached a record high of $85.45, and has increased by 62.6% since the beginning of the year [2] Lowe's Companies Inc (NYSE:LOW) - Lowe's will also report earnings before the market opens on November 19 [3] - The stock's post-earnings performance has been less favorable, with only half of its next-day sessions finishing higher over the last two years [3] - Currently, Lowe's stock is down 1.3% at $271.05 but has been recovering towards its October 16 record peak of $286.99, with a year-to-date increase of 21.8% [3] Target Corp (NYSE:TGT) - Target is set to announce earnings before the market opens on November 20 [4] - The stock has a history of significant post-earnings movements, averaging a next-day swing of 8.6% over the last eight reports, with current options pricing in a move of 13.4% [4] - Target's stock has finished higher in six of its last eight reports, currently up 1.7% at $155.93, and has increased by 9.8% in 2024 [4]

The market expects Lowe's (LOW) to deliver a year-over-year decline in earnings on lower revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended October 2024. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on Nov ...

MOORESVILLE, N.C., Nov. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) announced today that it will hold its Third Quarter 2024 Earnings Conference Call at 9 a.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, Nov. 19. A webcast will be available by visiting the Quarterly Earnings section of the Lowe's Investor Relations website, ir.lowes.com. Supplemental materials will be available 15 minutes before the start of the conference call. What: Third Quarter 2024 Earnings Conference Call When: 9 a.m. ET on Tuesda ...

In the latest trading session, Lowe's (LOW) closed at $274.51, marking a +1.26% move from the previous day. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.1%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.69%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 0.06%.The home improvement retailer's shares have seen a decrease of 1.69% over the last month, not keeping up with the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 5.33% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.37%.The upcoming earnings release of Lowe's will be of great ...

Have you been searching for a stock that might be well-positioned to maintain its earnings-beat streak in its upcoming report? It is worth considering Lowe's (LOW) , which belongs to the Zacks Building Products - Retail industry.When looking at the last two reports, this home improvement retailer has recorded a strong streak of surpassing earnings estimates. The company has topped estimates by 3.81%, on average, in the last two quarters.For the last reported quarter, Lowe's came out with earnings of $4.10 p ...

Company Performance - Lowe's stock closed at $264.98, reflecting a +1.16% change from the previous trading day, outperforming the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.28% [1] - Over the past month, Lowe's shares have depreciated by 2.17%, underperforming the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 1.01% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.41% [1] Upcoming Earnings - Lowe's earnings report is scheduled for November 19, 2024, with an expected EPS of $2.80, indicating an 8.5% decline from the same quarter last year [2] - The forecasted quarterly revenue is $19.85 billion, down 3.03% from the previous year [2] Annual Estimates - For the annual period, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $11.91 per share and revenue of $82.91 billion, reflecting declines of -9.77% and -4.01% respectively from last year [3] Analyst Projections - Recent shifts in analyst projections for Lowe's are important to monitor, as they reflect short-term business trends and can indicate analysts' outlook on the company's health and profitability [4] Zacks Rank - Lowe's currently holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), with the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remaining steady over the past month [6] - The Zacks Rank system has a strong track record, with 1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988 [6] Valuation Metrics - Lowe's has a Forward P/E ratio of 21.99, which is a premium compared to the industry's average Forward P/E of 19.82 [7] - The company also has a PEG ratio of 2.15, while the average PEG ratio for Building Products - Retail stocks is 3.65 [8] Industry Context - The Building Products - Retail industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector and currently holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 185, placing it in the bottom 27% of over 250 industries [9]

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the reliability of brokerage recommendations, particularly focusing on Lowe's (LOW), and highlights the potential misalignment of interests between brokerage firms and retail investors [1][4]. Group 1: Brokerage Recommendations for Lowe's - Lowe's has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.86, indicating a consensus between Strong Buy and Buy, based on 33 brokerage firms [2]. - Among the 33 recommendations, 18 are Strong Buy and 1 is Buy, which accounts for 54.6% and 3% of all recommendations respectively [2]. - Despite the positive ABR, relying solely on this information for investment decisions may not be advisable, as studies show brokerage recommendations often fail to guide investors effectively [3]. Group 2: Limitations of Brokerage Recommendations - Analysts from brokerage firms tend to exhibit a strong positive bias in their ratings due to vested interests, leading to a disproportionate number of Strong Buy recommendations compared to Strong Sell [4][8]. - This bias results in a lack of alignment with retail investors, making it difficult to accurately predict stock price movements based on these recommendations [5][8]. Group 3: Zacks Rank as an Alternative - The Zacks Rank, which classifies stocks from 1 (Strong Buy) to 5 (Strong Sell), is presented as a more reliable indicator of near-term price performance, driven by earnings estimate revisions [6][9]. - Unlike the ABR, the Zacks Rank is timely and reflects the latest earnings estimates, providing a more accurate prediction of future stock prices [10]. - For Lowe's, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year remains unchanged at $11.91, leading to a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), suggesting caution despite the positive ABR [11][12].