In an ever-changing retail landscape, home improvement giant Lowe’s Companies (LOW) managed to deliver impressive Q4 result that saw its sales grow to $15.6 billion, a 1% y-o-y increase, and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) rising to $0.80, an 8.1% y-o-y increase. However, this is not a definitive success as the company still has to figure out how to stay relevant in the changing demand landscape.
CEO Marvin Ellison has identified three key areas that must be improved for an overall success: taking care of the Pros, taking care of the digital sales, and finally taking care of delivery.
In the retail industry, Pro customers are defined as those in the construction trades or the maintenance, repair, and operations industry. These customers are more important as they make more frequent and expensive visits versus DIY customers working on weekend projects. Capturing a sizeable share of its Pro customer market is key to Lowe’s future performance. For this, the company has planned to dedicate loaders to exclusively serve Pro customers, so any bulky products they purchase can be loaded quickly and efficiently at the store.
Although Lowe’s online sales rose 11% y-o-y in Q4, it is still lower than Home Depot’s (HD) online sales which rose 24% in the same period. To address this problem, Lowe’s plans to make their website more user-friendly, to place associates online and to work more intimately with vendors to enable better product selection.
Finally, Ellison acknowledged the need to upgrade its delivery and logistics infrastructure. The company is currently planning to develop a network of distribution centers and systems that will centrally help to manage bulk deliveries to customers’ homes and job sites more efficiently. The company just opened its first direct fulfillment center and has plans to open a second on the West Coast.
LOW saw its Momentum Indicator move above the 0 level on September 12, 2024. This is an indication that the stock could be shifting in to a new upward move. Traders may want to consider buying the stock or buying call options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 86 similar instances where the indicator turned positive. In of the 86 cases, the stock moved higher in the following days. The odds of a move higher are at .
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for LOW just turned positive on October 08, 2024. Looking at past instances where LOW's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in of 49 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
Following a 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where LOW advanced for three days, in of 351 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
The Aroon Indicator entered an Uptrend today. In of 329 cases where LOW Aroon's Indicator entered an Uptrend, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued Uptrend are .
The 10-day RSI Indicator for LOW moved out of overbought territory on October 10, 2024. This could be a bearish sign for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 44 similar instances where the indicator moved out of overbought territory. In of the 44 cases, the stock moved lower in the following days. This puts the odds of a move lower at .
The Stochastic Oscillator has been in the overbought zone for 2 days. Expect a price pull-back in the near future.
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where LOW declined for three days, the price rose further in of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
LOW broke above its upper Bollinger Band on September 13, 2024. This could be a sign that the stock is set to drop as the stock moves back below the upper band and toward the middle band. You may want to consider selling the stock or exploring put options.
Tickeron has a positive outlook on this ticker and predicts a further increase by more than 4.00% within the next month with a likelihood of 78%.
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating very strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is seriously undervalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (0.000) is normal, around the industry mean (12.064). P/E Ratio (18.885) is within average values for comparable stocks, (36.044). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (3.244) is also within normal values, averaging (2.650). Dividend Yield (0.018) settles around the average of (0.034) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (1.685) is also within normal values, averaging (18.679).
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating outstanding price growth. LOW’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating low risk on high returns. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 75, placing this stock better than average.
The Tickeron Seasonality Score of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is fair valued in the industry. The Tickeron Seasonality score describes the variance of predictable price changes around the same period every calendar year. These changes can be tied to a specific month, quarter, holiday or vacation period, as well as a meteorological or growing season.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to consistent earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The average fundamental analysis ratings, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, are as follows
a company, which engages in the retail sale of home improvement products
Industry SpecialtyStores