Lowe's(LOW) - 2025 Q4 - Annual Results

Financial Performance - Net earnings for Q4 2024 were $1.1 billion, with diluted EPS of $1.99, an increase from $1.77 in Q4 2023[1] - Total sales for the quarter reached $18.6 billion, with comparable sales increasing by 0.2%[1] - Net earnings for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2025, were $6,957 million, a decrease of 9.93% compared to $7,726 million for the previous year[17] - Adjusted diluted earnings per share for the three months ended January 31, 2025, was $1.93, slightly down from the reported diluted earnings per share of $1.99[22] Sales Projections - For fiscal year 2025, total sales are projected to be between $83.5 billion and $84.5 billion, with comparable sales expected to be flat to up 1%[9] Capital Management - The company repurchased approximately 5.5 million shares for $1.4 billion and paid $650 million in dividends during the quarter[3] - The company repurchased $4,053 million of common stock during the fiscal year, compared to $6,138 million in the previous year, reflecting a decrease of 33.94%[17] Operating Metrics - Operating income margin is expected to be between 12.3% and 12.4% for fiscal year 2025[9] - The effective income tax rate for fiscal year 2025 is estimated to be approximately 24.5%[9] Assets and Liabilities - Total assets increased to $43,102 million as of January 31, 2025, up from $41,795 million on February 2, 2024, representing a growth of 3.13%[16] - Current liabilities increased to $18,757 million, up from $15,568 million, reflecting a rise of 20.73%[16] - Long-term debt, excluding current maturities, decreased to $32,901 million from $35,384 million, a reduction of 7.01%[16] - Total liabilities increased to $57,333 million, up from $56,845 million, indicating a growth of 0.86%[16] Cash Flow - Net cash provided by operating activities rose to $9,625 million, an increase of 18.19% from $8,140 million in the prior year[17] - Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period were $1,761 million, a significant increase from $921 million at the beginning of the period[17] Strategic Initiatives - Lowe's aims to continue its strategic initiatives to capitalize on the expected recovery in the home improvement market[2] - The company recognized an $80 million pre-tax gain from the sale of its Canadian retail business, positively impacting diluted EPS by $0.06[1] - The company recognized a pre-tax income of $80 million related to the Canadian retail business transaction in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024[20] Capital Expenditures - The company plans to allocate approximately $2.5 billion for capital expenditures in fiscal year 2025[9] Store Operations - As of January 31, 2025, Lowe's operated 1,748 stores with a total retail selling space of 195 million square feet[2]