Lowe’s on Wednesday reported mixed fourth-quarter results, with sales weaker than expected, and provided a disappointing forecast.
Share prices rose 1.4% in premarket trading.
Here’s what Lowe’s reported compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by Refinitiv:
- Earnings per share: 94 cents, adjusted vs. 91 cents expected
- Revenue: $16.03 billion vs. $16.15 billion expected
- Same-store sales: up 2.5% vs. 3.6% expected
The home improvement retailer is undergoing a turnaround under Chief Executive Marvin Ellison, who stepped into the role in 2018. As part of the transformation, Lowe’s is focused on expanding e-commerce and attracting more professional homebuilders and contractors. It’s also trying to capitalize on existing strengths, such as speeding up appliance deliveries since it’s one of the country’s top appliance retailers.
In the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31, Lowe’s reported net income of $509 million, or 66 cents per share, compared with a loss of $824 million, or $1.03 per share, a year ago.
Excluding items, the company earned 94 cents per share, outpacing analyst estimates of 91 cents per share from Refinitiv.
Revenue rose to $16.03 billion from $15.65 billion a year ago but was less than the $16.15 billion analysts had forecasted.
Same-store sales grew by 2.5%, far below the 3.6% analysts were predicting.
In a news release, Ellison said the company is making strides in stores and with its overhaul of Lowes.com.
“Though we are only one year into a multi-year plan, we made significant progress transforming our company and believe we are well positioned to capitalize on solid demand in a healthy home improvement market,” he said.
Ellison touted the company’s “strong expense management.” The company shut stores in Canada during the three-month period and previously shuttered its Mexico business.
Lowe’s reported earnings a day after rival Home Depot reported a fourth quarter that beat analysts’ estimates. Home Depot said its sales benefited from a healthy housing market and a confident consumer and were fueled by a strong holiday season. Home Depot is the larger retailer in the home improvement space. It has a bigger customer base of professional contractors and a growing e-commerce business.
Like Lowe’s, Home Depot has been making improvements to its stores and website. Home Depot is investing $11 billion over three years, a decision that’s put pressure on its margins.
Home Depot has grown in its online business, as Lowe’s lags behind and overhauls its website. Home Depot’s online sales grew nearly 21% in the fiscal fourth quarter and for 2019, when adjusted for the shorter calendar year.
Lowe’s did not break out its online sales. In the news release, Ellison said nearly all of Lowe’s sales growth in the fourth quarter came from its brick-and-mortar stores, but he said the company has “a detailed road map in place to modernize our e-commerce platform.”
Neil Saunders, managing director of consulting company GlobalData’s retail division, said in an email that Home Depot’s performance “takes some of the luster off the numbers” for Lowe’s.
To lift sales, he said Lowe’s needs to win new customers from Home Depot and other stores, step up its seasonal offerings and quickly catch up with the digital side of the business. He commended some of the company’s changes, including adding a permanently staffed desk and dedicated parking spaces for professional contractors.
But he said Lowe’s turnaround will take time.
“It is working hard to remedy weaknesses in its business model and has a coherent plan to be a more effective player,” he wrote in the email. “However, it is also clear that the transformation will take at least another year and a bit before it fully delivers.”
Lowe’s said it expects to have sales growth of 2.5% to 3% and same-store sales growth of 3% to 3.5% in fiscal 2020.
It forecast that earnings will be $6.45 to $6.65 per share in fiscal 2020 on an adjusted basis. According to Refinitiv, analysts were expecting the retailer to earn $6.34 to $6.92 per share.
Along with efforts to revamp its online business, Lowe’s named Marisa Thalberg its new chief brand and marketing officer in January. Thalberg, previously global chief brand officer at Taco Bell, reports directly to Ellison.
Lowe’s plans to hire more than 53,000 full-time and part-time employees for the spring, which is the busiest season for home improvement projects.
Read Lowe’s press release here.
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