Summary
Lowe's Companies, Inc. reported first-quarter results for fiscal year 2019 with a net sales increase of 2.2% to $17.7 billion and a net earnings increase of 5.9% to $1.0 billion. Diluted earnings per share rose to $1.31, up from $1.19 in the prior year's comparable period. The company highlighted strong comparable sales in key categories like Seasonal & Outdoor Living and Lawn & Garden, attributing improvements to better inventory management and targeted marketing efforts. Despite a slight increase in net sales, gross margin experienced pressure, a 165 basis point decrease as a percentage of sales, due to factors including significant changes in the merchandising organization, legacy pricing tools, and increased distribution costs. Financially, Lowe's generated $2.1 billion in operating cash flow and deployed $205 million for capital expenditures. The company continued its commitment to shareholder returns, paying $385 million in dividends and repurchasing $818 million of common stock during the quarter. A significant item impacting the effective tax rate was a favorable tax benefit related to the liquidation strategy for its Mexico retail operations. The company anticipates approximately $1.6 billion in capital expenditures for the full fiscal year 2019.
Financial Highlights
50 data points| Revenue | $17.74B |
| Cost of Revenue | $12.16B |
| Gross Profit | $5.58B |
| SG&A Expenses | $3.86B |
| Operating Income | $1.42B |
| Net Income | $1.05B |
| EPS (Basic) | $1.31 |
| EPS (Diluted) | $1.31 |
| Shares Outstanding (Basic) | 796.00M |
| Shares Outstanding (Diluted) | 797.00M |
Key Highlights
- 1Net sales increased by 2.2% to $17.7 billion, with comparable sales up 3.5%, driven by improvements in customer transactions and average ticket.
- 2Net earnings grew by 5.9% to $1.0 billion, translating to a diluted EPS of $1.31, an increase from $1.19 in the prior year.
- 3Gross margin declined by 165 basis points to 31.46% of sales, primarily impacted by merchandising organization changes, pricing tool inefficiencies, and increased distribution costs.
- 4Operating cash flow was strong at $2.1 billion, though lower than the prior year's $3.4 billion, mainly due to working capital changes.
- 5The company returned $385 million to shareholders through dividends and $818 million through share repurchases in the quarter.
- 6Lowe's adopted the new lease accounting standard (ASC 842) in the period, resulting in the recognition of significant operating lease right-of-use assets ($3.9 billion) and liabilities ($4.6 billion) on the balance sheet.
- 7A favorable tax benefit from the liquidation strategy for Mexico retail operations contributed to a lower effective income tax rate (16.6% vs. 24.3%).