New Elite Feature: Screen & Chart at the same time

Learn More

LOWE'S REPORTS FIRST QUARTER 2026 SALES AND EARNINGS RESULTS

By PR Newswire | May 20, 2026, 6:00 AM

— Diluted EPS of $2.90; Adjusted Diluted EPS1 of $3.03 —

— Comparable Sales increased 0.6% — 

— Affirms Full Year 2026 Outlook —

MOORESVILLE, N.C., May 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) today reported net earnings of $1.6 billion and diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.90 for the quarter ended May 1, 2026, compared to diluted EPS of $2.92 in the first quarter of 2025. During the first quarter, the company recognized $96 million in pre-tax expenses associated with the acquisitions of Foundation Building Materials (FBM) and Artisan Design Group (ADG). Excluding these expenses, first quarter 2026 adjusted diluted EPS1 increased 3.8% to $3.03 compared to the prior-year diluted EPS.

Total sales for the quarter were $23.1 billion, compared to $20.9 billion in the prior-year quarter. Comparable sales for the quarter increased 0.6%, driven by strong spring execution as well as a 15.5% online sales growth and continued strength in appliances, home services and Pro sales.

"Strong spring execution and continued momentum in Pro, Appliances, Online, and Home Services supported a solid start to the year as we delivered our fourth consecutive quarter of positive comp sales," said Marvin R. Ellison, Lowe's chairman, president and CEO. "In spite of a challenging housing macro, we remain focused on advancing our Total Home strategy to provide the best experience for our customer. I'd also like to thank our associates for their dedication to serving our customers throughout the busy spring season."

As of May 1, 2026, Lowe's operated 1,759 stores, representing 196.0 million square feet of retail selling space.

Capital Allocation

The company remains committed to generating sustainable shareholder value through a disciplined focus on its capital allocation program. During the quarter, the company paid $674 million in 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 affirming its outlook for fiscal year 2026.

Full Year 2026 Outlook

  • Total sales of $92.0 to 94.0 billion or an increase of approximately 7% to 9% compared to prior year
  • Comparable sales expected to be flat to up 2% as compared to prior year
  • Operating income as a percentage of sales (operating margin) of 11.2% to 11.4%
  • Adjusted1 operating income as a percentage of sales (adjusted operating margin) of 11.6% to 11.8%
  • Net interest expense of approximately $1.6 billion
  • Effective income tax rate of approximately 24.5%
  • Diluted earnings per share of approximately $11.75 to $12.25
  • Adjusted1 diluted earnings per share of approximately $12.25 to $12.75
  • Capital expenditures of up to $2.5 billion

A conference call to discuss first quarter 2026 operating results is scheduled for today, Wednesday, May 20, 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 First Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call Webcast. Supplemental slides will be available 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® 100 home improvement company with total fiscal year 2025 sales of more than $86 billion. Lowe's employs approximately 300,000 associates and operates over 1,750 home improvement stores, 540 branches and 120 distribution centers. 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.



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.





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, trade policy changes and additional tariffs, 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

Contacts:     

Shareholder/Analyst Inquiries:          



Media Inquiries:



Shelly Hubbard



Steve Salazar



704-775-3856



steve.j.salazar@lowes.com 



shelly.hubbard@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 Ended



May 1, 2026



May 2, 2025

Current Earnings

Amount



% Sales



Amount



% Sales

Net sales

$ 23,078



100.00



$ 20,930



100.00

Cost of sales

15,535



67.32



13,944



66.62

Gross margin

7,543



32.68



6,986



33.38

Expenses:















Selling, general and administrative

4,423



19.16



4,046



19.33

Depreciation and amortization

566



2.45



446



2.13

Operating income

2,554



11.07



2,494



11.92

Interest – net

399



1.73



337



1.61

Pre-tax earnings

2,155



9.34



2,157



10.31

Income tax provision

527



2.29



516



2.47

Net earnings

$  1,628



7.05



$  1,641



7.84

































Weighted average common shares outstanding – basic

559







559





Basic earnings per common share (1)

$   2.90







$   2.93





Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted

560







560





Diluted earnings per common share (1)

$   2.90







$   2.92





Cash dividends per share

$   1.20







$   1.15





















Accumulated Deficit















Balance at beginning of period

$        (10,839)







$        (14,799)





Net earnings

1,628







1,641





Cash dividends declared

(673)







(645)





Share repurchases







(30)





Balance at end of period

$          (9,884)







$        (13,833)







(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 $1,623 million for the three months ended May 1, 2026, and $1,636 million for the three months ended May 02, 2025. 





Lowe's Companies, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited)

In Millions, Except Percentage Data





Three Months Ended



May 1, 2026



May 2, 2025



Amount



% Sales



Amount



% Sales

Net earnings

$  1,628



7.05



$  1,641



7.84

Cash flow hedges – net of tax                                                            

(3)



(0.01)



(3)



(0.01)

Other

(2)



(0.01)





Other comprehensive loss

(5)



(0.02)



(3)



(0.01)

Comprehensive income

$  1,623



7.03



$  1,638



7.83







Lowe's Companies, Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)

In Millions, Except Par Value Data









May 1, 2026



May 2, 2025

Assets









Current assets:









Cash and cash equivalents



$                 786



$               3,054

Short-term investments



458



368

Receivables - net



1,151



96

Merchandise inventory - net



18,447



18,335

Other current assets



1,320



822

Total current assets



22,162



22,675

Property, less accumulated depreciation



18,254



17,636

Operating lease right-of-use assets



4,182



3,799

Long-term investments



247



300

Deferred income taxes - net





118

Goodwill



3,945



311

Intangible assets - net



5,807



274

Other assets



344



259

Total assets



$             54,941



$             45,372











Liabilities and shareholders' deficit









Current liabilities:









Short-term borrowings



$                 380



$                  —

Current maturities of long-term debt



810



4,183

Current operating lease liabilities



662



562

Accounts payable



11,975



11,235

Accrued compensation and employee benefits



972



853

Deferred revenue



1,629



1,500

Other current liabilities



3,846



4,055

Total current liabilities



20,274



22,388

Long-term debt, excluding current maturities



36,751



30,541

Noncurrent operating lease liabilities



3,937



3,669

Deferred income taxes - net



1,239



Deferred revenue - Lowe's protection plans



1,248



1,266

Other liabilities



762



762

Total liabilities



64,211



58,626











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 -

561 million and 560 million, respectively



280



280

Capital in excess of par value



68



13

Accumulated deficit



(9,884)



(13,833)

Accumulated other comprehensive income



266



286

Total shareholders' deficit



(9,270)



(13,254)

Total liabilities and shareholders' deficit



$             54,941



$             45,372















Lowe's Companies, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

In Millions





Three Months Ended



May 1, 2026



May 2, 2025

Cash flows from operating activities:







  Net earnings

$               1,628



$               1,641

  Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities:            







     Depreciation and amortization

644



507

     Noncash lease expense

169



131

     Deferred income taxes

203



126

Loss on property and other assets - net

4



20

     Share-based payment expense

65



58

     Changes in operating assets and liabilities:







       Accounts receivable

(63)



(3)

       Merchandise inventory – net

(1,145)



(926)

       Other operating assets

(125)



(103)

       Accounts payable

2,212



1,945

       Other operating liabilities

(242)



(17)

     Net cash provided by operating activities

3,350



3,379









Cash flows from investing activities:







     Purchases of investments

(337)



(391)

     Proceeds from sale/maturity of investments

319



375

     Capital expenditures

(521)



(518)

     Proceeds from sale of property and other long-term assets

6



2

     Other – net

32



(1)

     Net cash used in investing activities

(501)



(533)









Cash flows from financing activities:







     Net change in commercial paper

378



     Repayment of debt

(2,376)



(778)

Proceeds from issuance of common stock under share-based payment plans

2



2

     Cash dividend payments

(674)



(645)

     Repurchases of common stock

(363)



(112)

     Other – net

(12)



(20)

     Net cash used in financing activities

(3,045)



(1,553)









Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents

(196)



1,293

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

982



1,761

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

$                 786



$               3,054









Lowe's Companies, Inc.

Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliation (Unaudited)

To provide additional transparency, the Company has presented the non-GAAP financial measure of adjusted diluted earnings per share for the three months ended May 1, 2026. This measure excludes the impact of a certain item, further described below, to assist analysts and investors in understanding operational performance for the first quarter of fiscal 2026.

Fiscal 2026 Impacts

During fiscal 2026, the Company recognized financial impacts from the following:

  • In the first quarter of fiscal 2026, the Company recognized pre-tax expenses of $96 million consisting of intangible asset amortization related to the acquisitions of Artisan Design Group and Foundation Building Materials (Acquisition of businesses).

In addition, the Company has presented full year fiscal 2026 guidance of the non-GAAP financial measures adjusted operating margin and adjusted diluted earnings per share, which exclude the impact of intangible asset amortization, and related tax effects if applicable, related to the acquisitions of Artisan Design Group and Foundation Building Materials. When evaluated with our GAAP results, we believe these non-GAAP measures provide investors with meaningful measures of comparable performance.

Adjusted operating margin and adjusted diluted earnings per share should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful indicator of, the Company's operating margin or 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



May 1, 2026

Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share

Pre-Tax Earnings

Tax 1

Net Earnings

Diluted Earnings Per Share, As Reported                              





$           2.90

Acquisition of businesses

0.17

(0.04)

0.13

Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share





$           3.03

1 

Represents the corresponding tax benefit or expense specifically related to the item excluded from adjusted diluted earnings per share.

Our adjusted operating margin and adjusted diluted earnings per share guidance for fiscal 2026 excludes an expected 40 basis point and $0.50 after tax impact, respectively, from intangible asset amortization.

Cision
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lowes-reports-first-quarter-2026-sales-and-earnings-results-302776841.html

SOURCE Lowe's Companies, Inc.

Mentioned In This Article

Latest News