Revenue growth remains highly sensitive to macroeconomic cycles, swinging from a 17.1% contraction in 2023Q4 to a 10.9% expansion by 2025Q4, while operating margins struggle to scale consistently.
| Metric | TTM | Jan'26 | Jan'25 | Jan'24 | Jan'23 | Jan'22 | Jan'21 | Jan'20 | Jan'19 | Jan'18 | Jan'17 | Jan'16 | Jan'15 | Jan'14 | Jan'13 | Jan'12 | Jan'11 | Jan'10 | Jan'09 | Jan'08 | Jan'07 | Jan'06 | Jan'05 | Jan'04 | Jan'03 | Jan'02 | Jan'01 | Jan'00 | Jan'99 | Jan'98 | Jan'97 |
|---|
| Sales/Revenue | 88.43B | 86.29B | 83.67B | 86.38B | 97.06B | 96.25B | 89.6B | 72.15B | 71.31B | 68.62B | 65.02B | 59.07B | 56.22B | 53.42B | 50.52B | 50.21B | 48.81B | 47.22B | 48.23B | 48.28B | 46.93B | 43.24B | 36.46B | 30.84B | 26.49B | 22.11B | 18.78B | 15.91B | 12.24B | 10.14B | 8.6B |
| Revenue Growth % | 6.24% | 3.12% | -3.13% | -11.01% | 0.84% | 7.43% | 24.19% | 1.18% | 3.92% | 5.54% | 10.06% | 5.07% | 5.25% | 5.73% | 0.62% | 2.85% | 3.38% | -2.09% | -0.11% | 2.89% | 8.52% | 18.59% | 18.24% | 16.41% | 19.81% | 17.75% | 18.06% | 29.9% | 20.8% | 17.87% | 21.55% |
| Cost of Goods Sold | 58.55B | 57.4B | 57.53B | 59.25B | 66.57B | 65.86B | 61.42B | 50.47B | 49.88B | 47.59B | 44.04B | 39.99B | 38.15B | 36.4B | 34.72B | 34.34B | 33.25B | 32.37B | 33.27B | 32.92B | 31.89B | 29.43B | 25.07B | 21.23B | 18.46B | 15.74B | 13.49B | 11.52B | 8.95B | 7.45B | 6.37B |
| COGS % of Revenue | - | 66.52% | 68.75% | 68.59% | 68.59% | 68.42% | 68.56% | 69.95% | 69.95% | 69.35% | 67.74% | 67.69% | 67.85% | 68.15% | 68.72% | 68.39% | 68.11% | 68.55% | 68.98% | 68.19% | 67.96% | 68.06% | 68.74% | 68.85% | 69.7% | 71.2% | 71.82% | 72.46% | 73.09% | 73.46% | 74.12% |
| Gross Profit | 29.89B | 28.89B | 26.15B | 27.13B | 30.49B | 30.39B | 28.17B | 21.68B | 21.43B | 21.03B | 20.98B | 19.09B | 18.07B | 17.01B | 15.8B | 15.87B | 15.57B | 14.85B | 14.96B | 15.36B | 15.04B | 13.81B | 11.4B | 9.61B | 8.03B | 6.37B | 5.29B | 4.38B | 3.3B | 2.69B | 2.23B |
| Gross Margin % | 33.8% | 33.48% | 31.25% | 31.41% | 31.41% | 31.58% | 31.44% | 30.05% | 30.05% | 30.65% | 32.26% | 32.31% | 32.15% | 31.85% | 31.28% | 31.61% | 31.89% | 31.45% | 31.02% | 31.81% | 32.04% | 31.94% | 31.26% | 31.15% | 30.3% | 28.8% | 28.18% | 27.54% | 26.91% | 26.54% | 25.88% |
| Gross Profit Growth % | - | 10.47% | -3.61% | -11.03% | 0.32% | 7.88% | 29.94% | 1.17% | 1.91% | 0.26% | 9.9% | 5.61% | 6.22% | 7.66% | -0.42% | 1.95% | 4.83% | -0.76% | -2.6% | 2.16% | 8.88% | 21.17% | 18.63% | 19.7% | 26.04% | 20.34% | 20.79% | 32.96% | 22.49% | 20.88% | 25.96% |
| Operating Expenses | 19.68B | 18.73B | 16.04B | 15.59B | 17.83B | 18.14B | 17.29B | 15.1B | 15.33B | 14.44B | 15.16B | 14.11B | 13.25B | 12.82B | 12.16B | 12.13B | 11.94B | 11.63B | 11.14B | 10.63B | 9.88B | 9.14B | 7.65B | 6.43B | 5.49B | 4.59B | 3.89B | 3.21B | 2.46B | 2.07B | 1.65B |
| OpEx % of Revenue | - | 21.71% | 19.16% | 18.05% | 18.37% | 18.85% | 19.3% | 20.93% | 21.49% | 21.05% | 23.32% | 23.88% | 23.57% | 24% | 24.07% | 24.16% | 24.46% | 24.63% | 23.1% | 22.01% | 21.05% | 21.14% | 20.99% | 20.85% | 20.71% | 20.75% | 20.71% | 20.17% | 20.11% | 20.38% | 19.24% |
| Selling, General & Admin | 17.17B | 16.79B | 16.04B | 15.59B | 17.83B | 18.14B | 17.29B | 15.1B | 15.33B | 14.44B | 15.16B | 14.11B | 13.25B | 12.82B | 12.16B | 12.13B | 11.94B | 11.63B | 11.14B | 10.63B | 9.88B | 9B | 7.53B | 5.67B | 4.75B | 4.05B | 3.48B | 2.87B | 2.19B | 1.82B | 1.45B |
| SG&A % of Revenue | - | 19.46% | 19.16% | 18.05% | 18.37% | 18.85% | 19.3% | 20.93% | 21.49% | 21.05% | 23.32% | 23.88% | 23.57% | 24% | 24.07% | 24.16% | 24.46% | 24.63% | 23.1% | 22.01% | 21.05% | 20.81% | 20.65% | 18.39% | 17.95% | 18.33% | 18.53% | 18.05% | 17.88% | 18% | 16.91% |
| Research & Development | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| R&D % of Revenue | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Operating Expenses | 2M | 1.94B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 142M | 123M | 758M | 626M | 534.99M | 409.51M | 337.82M | 272.2M | 241.1M | 199.8M |
| Operating Income | 10.21B | 10.15B | 10.11B | 11.53B | 12.66B | 12.26B | 10.88B | 6.58B | 6.11B | 6.59B | 5.81B | 4.98B | 4.82B | 4.2B | 3.65B | 3.74B | 3.63B | 3.22B | 3.82B | 4.73B | 5.16B | 4.67B | 3.74B | 3.12B | 2.54B | 1.78B | 1.4B | 1.17B | 868.31M | 670.25M | 570.9M |
| Operating Margin % | 11.55% | 11.77% | 12.08% | 13.35% | 13.04% | 12.73% | 12.15% | 9.12% | 8.56% | 9.6% | 8.94% | 8.43% | 8.57% | 7.85% | 7.22% | 7.45% | 7.43% | 6.82% | 7.92% | 9.8% | 10.99% | 10.8% | 10.26% | 10.13% | 9.59% | 8.05% | 7.47% | 7.37% | 7.09% | 6.61% | 6.64% |
| Operating Income Growth % | - | 0.41% | -12.33% | -8.89% | 3.3% | 12.62% | 65.41% | 7.76% | -7.3% | 13.3% | 16.7% | 3.34% | 14.9% | 15.06% | -2.54% | 3.2% | 12.61% | -15.75% | -19.27% | -8.22% | 10.43% | 24.77% | 19.81% | 22.94% | 42.78% | 26.91% | 19.61% | 35.02% | 29.55% | 17.4% | 30.85% |
| EBITDA | 11.83B | 12.09B | 12.08B | 13.46B | 15.17B | 14.65B | 12.96B | 8.46B | 7.71B | 8.13B | 7.4B | 6.57B | 6.41B | 5.76B | 5.27B | 5.32B | 5.31B | 4.95B | 5.49B | 6.2B | 6.39B | 5.72B | 4.67B | 3.92B | 3.19B | 2.31B | 1.81B | 1.51B | 1.14B | 911.35M | 770.7M |
| EBITDA Margin % | 13.37% | 14.02% | 14.44% | 15.58% | 15.63% | 15.22% | 14.46% | 11.72% | 10.81% | 11.84% | 11.39% | 11.12% | 11.39% | 10.78% | 10.43% | 10.6% | 10.88% | 10.49% | 11.38% | 12.83% | 13.63% | 13.23% | 12.8% | 12.72% | 12.03% | 10.46% | 9.65% | 9.49% | 9.31% | 8.99% | 8.96% |
| EBITDA Growth % | -2.45% | 0.08% | -10.2% | -11.3% | 3.53% | 13.11% | 53.19% | 9.66% | -5.09% | 9.77% | 12.71% | 2.53% | 11.27% | 9.26% | -0.96% | 0.21% | 7.21% | -9.77% | -11.44% | -3.08% | 11.76% | 22.53% | 18.99% | 23.16% | 37.7% | 27.7% | 19.97% | 32.41% | 25.15% | 18.25% | 30.65% |
| D&A (Non-Cash Add-back) | 1.61B | 1.94B | 1.97B | 1.92B | 2.51B | 2.4B | 2.07B | 1.88B | 1.61B | 1.54B | 1.59B | 1.59B | 1.59B | 1.56B | 1.62B | 1.58B | 1.68B | 1.73B | 1.67B | 1.46B | 1.24B | 1.05B | 926M | 800M | 645M | 534.1M | 409.51M | 337.82M | 272.2M | 241.1M | 199.8M |
| EBIT | 9.89B | 8.75B | 10.62B | 11.65B | 10.17B | 12.07B | 8.61B | 6.34B | 4.04B | 6.14B | 5.86B | 4.96B | 4.8B | 4.15B | 3.6B | 3.29B | 3.56B | 3.14B | 3.83B | 4.75B | 5.2B | 4.7B | 3.73B | 3.12B | 2.55B | 1.78B | 1.4B | 1.17B | 868.31M | 670.25M | 570.9M |
| Net Interest Income | -1.47B | -1.41B | -1.31B | -1.37B | -1.1B | -847M | -848M | -691M | -621M | -636M | -643M | -540M | -517M | -470M | -450M | -371M | -325M | -296M | -280M | -194M | -154M | -158M | -176M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Interest Income | 83M | 0 | 159M | 101M | 37M | 12M | 24M | 27M | 28M | 16M | 12M | 4M | 6M | 4M | 9M | 12M | 12M | 17M | 40M | 45M | 52M | 45M | 16M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Interest Expense | 1.55B | 1.41B | 1.47B | 1.47B | 1.14B | 859M | 872M | 718M | 649M | 652M | 655M | 544M | 523M | 474M | 459M | 383M | 337M | 313M | 320M | 239M | 206M | 203M | 192M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Income/Expense | -1.47B | -1.41B | -959M | -1.36B | -3.62B | -1.05B | -3.14B | -956M | -2.71B | -1.1B | -612M | -562M | -544M | -522M | -509M | -835M | -397M | -394M | -315M | -222M | -159M | -174M | -207M | -180M | -182M | -174M | -120.83M | -109.23M | -80.94M | -71.61M | -117.2M |
| Pretax Income | 8.74B | 8.75B | 9.15B | 10.18B | 9.04B | 11.21B | 7.74B | 5.62B | 3.39B | 5.49B | 5.2B | 4.42B | 4.28B | 3.67B | 3.14B | 2.91B | 3.23B | 2.83B | 3.51B | 4.51B | 5B | 4.51B | 3.54B | 2.94B | 2.36B | 1.6B | 1.28B | 1.06B | 787.37M | 598.63M | 453.7M |
| Pretax Margin % | 9.89% | 10.14% | 10.94% | 11.78% | 9.31% | 11.64% | 8.64% | 7.79% | 4.76% | 8% | 8% | 7.48% | 7.61% | 6.88% | 6.21% | 5.79% | 6.61% | 5.98% | 7.27% | 9.34% | 10.65% | 10.42% | 9.7% | 9.55% | 8.9% | 7.25% | 6.82% | 6.68% | 6.43% | 5.91% | 5.28% |
| Income Tax | 2.1B | 2.09B | 2.2B | 2.45B | 2.6B | 2.77B | 1.9B | 1.34B | 1.08B | 2.04B | 2.11B | 1.87B | 1.58B | 1.39B | 1.18B | 1.07B | 1.22B | 1.04B | 1.31B | 1.7B | 1.89B | 1.74B | 1.36B | 1.14B | 888M | 600.99M | 471.57M | 390.32M | 276M | 201.1M | 161.5M |
| Effective Tax Rate % | 24.06% | 23.93% | 23.99% | 24.07% | 28.76% | 24.68% | 24.6% | 23.87% | 31.82% | 37.2% | 40.53% | 42.39% | 36.9% | 37.76% | 37.55% | 36.72% | 37.73% | 36.88% | 37.39% | 37.73% | 37.88% | 38.5% | 38.46% | 38.59% | 37.64% | 37.49% | 36.8% | 36.71% | 35.05% | 33.59% | 35.6% |
| Net Income | 6.64B | 6.65B | 6.96B | 7.73B | 6.44B | 8.44B | 5.83B | 4.28B | 2.31B | 3.45B | 3.09B | 2.55B | 2.7B | 2.29B | 1.96B | 1.84B | 2.01B | 1.78B | 2.19B | 2.81B | 3.1B | 2.77B | 2.18B | 1.84B | 1.49B | 1.02B | 809.87M | 672.79M | 500.37M | 383.03M | 292.2M |
| Net Margin % | 7.51% | 7.71% | 8.31% | 8.94% | 6.63% | 8.77% | 6.51% | 5.93% | 3.25% | 5.02% | 4.75% | 4.31% | 4.8% | 4.28% | 3.88% | 3.66% | 4.12% | 3.78% | 4.55% | 5.82% | 6.62% | 6.41% | 5.97% | 5.98% | 5.63% | 4.63% | 4.31% | 4.23% | 4.09% | 3.78% | 3.4% |
| Net Income Growth % | -2.95% | -4.36% | -9.95% | 20.02% | -23.75% | 44.68% | 36.3% | 85% | -32.87% | 11.52% | 21.41% | -5.63% | 18.02% | 16.69% | 6.53% | -8.51% | 12.73% | -18.77% | -21.86% | -9.53% | 12.05% | 27.34% | 18% | 23.68% | 45.71% | 26.35% | 20.37% | 34.46% | 30.64% | 31.08% | 29.29% |
| Net Income (Continuing) | 6.64B | 6.65B | 6.96B | 7.73B | 6.44B | 8.44B | 5.83B | 4.28B | 2.31B | 3.45B | 3.09B | 2.55B | 2.7B | 2.29B | 1.96B | 1.84B | 2.01B | 1.78B | 2.19B | 2.81B | 3.1B | 2.77B | 2.18B | 1.83B | 1.48B | 1.01B | 809.87M | 672.79M | 500.37M | 383.03M | 292.2M |
| Discontinued Operations | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15M | 0 | 13M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Minority Interest | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EPS (Diluted) | 11.86 | 11.85 | 12.23 | 13.20 | 10.17 | 12.03 | 7.75 | 5.49 | 2.85 | 4.09 | 3.47 | 2.73 | 2.71 | 2.14 | 1.69 | 1.43 | 1.42 | 1.21 | 1.49 | 1.86 | 1.99 | 1.73 | 1.35 | 1.13 | 0.93 | 0.65 | 0.52 | 0.44 | 0.34 | 0.26 | 0.21 |
| EPS Growth % | -2.07% | -3.11% | -7.35% | 29.79% | -15.46% | 55.23% | 41.17% | 92.63% | -30.32% | 17.87% | 27.11% | 0.74% | 26.64% | 26.63% | 18.18% | 0.7% | 17.36% | -18.79% | -19.89% | -6.53% | 15.03% | 28.15% | 19.47% | 21.51% | 43.08% | 25% | 18.18% | 29.41% | 30.77% | 23.81% | 23.53% |
| EPS (Basic) | - | 11.87 | 12.25 | 13.24 | 10.20 | 12.08 | 7.77 | 5.49 | 2.85 | 4.09 | 3.48 | 2.73 | 2.71 | 2.14 | 1.69 | 1.43 | 1.43 | 1.21 | 1.50 | 1.90 | 2.02 | 1.78 | 1.39 | 1.16 | 0.95 | 0.67 | 0.53 | 0.44 | 0.34 | 0.26 | 0.22 |
| Diluted Shares Outstanding | 560M | 560M | 567.46M | 584M | 631M | 699M | 750M | 778M | 812M | 840M | 881M | 929M | 990M | 1.06B | 1.15B | 1.27B | 1.4B | 1.46B | 1.47B | 1.51B | 1.57B | 1.61B | 1.61B | 1.63B | 1.6B | 1.59B | 1.56B | 1.54B | 1.5B | 1.47B | 1.37B |
| Basic Shares Outstanding | 559M | 559M | 567M | 582M | 629M | 696M | 748M | 777M | 811M | 839M | 880M | 927M | 988M | 1.06B | 1.15B | 1.27B | 1.4B | 1.46B | 1.46B | 1.48B | 1.53B | 1.55B | 1.56B | 1.59B | 1.57B | 1.54B | 1.54B | 1.52B | 1.48B | 1.47B | 1.34B |
| Dividend Payout Ratio | - | 39.62% | 36.88% | 32.76% | 36.82% | 23.5% | 29.2% | 37.79% | 62.88% | 37.37% | 36.27% | 37.59% | 30.47% | 32.06% | 35.94% | 35.18% | 28.41% | 21.93% | 22.37% | 15.24% | 8.89% | 6.17% | 5.33% | 4.66% | 4.43% | 5.86% | 6.6% | 7.07% | 10.14% | 7.48% | 11.88% |
Housing market turnover sensitivity
According to the provided financial data, Lowe's revenue growth has exhibited significant volatility, swinging from a 17.1% contraction in 2023Q4 to a 10.9% expansion by 2025Q4, suggesting that the company's top-line performance remains highly sensitive to seasonal demand cycles and broader macroeconomic shifts in residential housing.
The recent return to positive revenue growth in the most recent quarters appears to reflect a stabilization in consumer spending, though the erratic nature of these fluctuations warrants caution. Investors should monitor whether this growth is sustainable or merely a recovery from the sharp declines observed in late 2023, as the company continues to navigate a challenging interest rate environment.
As reported in the company's income statements, gross margins have largely hovered between 30% and 32%, with the notable exception of 2025Q4, indicating that Lowe's faces persistent structural limitations in pricing power within the highly competitive home improvement duopoly that characterizes the current U.S. retail landscape.
The inability to consistently expand gross margins suggests that Lowe's remains tethered to commodity price volatility and aggressive competitive pricing strategies. While the 2025Q4 spike appears anomalous, the underlying trend implies that significant margin expansion may only be achievable through a successful, long-term pivot toward higher-margin professional customer segments.
Based on the reported figures, operating income has failed to scale consistently with revenue, as evidenced by operating margins fluctuating between 8.3% and 14.5% over the last ten quarters, suggesting that the company's fixed cost base remains a significant drag on profitability during periods of lower sales volume.
The lack of clear operating leverage implies that management's efforts to optimize the store footprint and supply chain have yet to fully decouple profitability from top-line volatility. Investors should investigate whether the current SG&A spend is sufficient to drive long-term efficiency or if it represents a permanent overhead burden that limits potential margin upside.
As indicated by the financial statements, stock-based compensation has remained a consistent expense, ranging from $50 million to $70 million per quarter, which may suggest that reported EPS figures are slightly inflated by the exclusion of these recurring equity-based costs from core operational performance metrics.
While these amounts are relatively modest compared to total net income, the persistent nature of these charges warrants scrutiny regarding the true economic cost of management incentives. The variability in net income, often driven by non-operating items, suggests that investors should focus on normalized earnings to gauge the underlying health of the business.
The market's optimism regarding Lowe's 'Total Home' strategy may be premature, as the company's operating margins have struggled to reach parity with its primary competitor, suggesting that the structural barriers to capturing professional contractor loyalty remain more formidable than current valuation multiples might otherwise imply.
Short-sellers may focus on the potential for margin compression if the company continues to sacrifice profitability to gain market share in the Pro segment. The reliance on aggressive share repurchases to support EPS growth, particularly when operating income is inconsistent, may indicate a preference for financial engineering over fundamental operational improvement.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying LOW stock.
For fiscal year 2025, Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) reported total revenue of $86.29B. This represents a 903.3% increase compared to $8.60B in 1996.
Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) is profitable, generating $6.65B in net income for the fiscal year ending 2025 with a net profit margin of 7.7%.
Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) reported an operating income of $10.15B, resulting in an operating profit margin of 11.8%. This margin reflects the operational efficiency of the business before interest and taxes.
Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) generated $28.89B in gross profit for the year, representing a gross profit margin of 33.5%. This demonstrates the company's core pricing power and production efficiency.