Lowe’s Q1 results: same-store sales decline is not ‘that big of a deal’

Shares of Lowe’s Companies Inc (NYSE: LOW) are down 4.0% on Wednesday after the home improvement retailer blamed unseasonably cold temperature for lower-than-expected sales in fiscal Q1.

Key takeaways from Lowe’s Q1 results

• Net income came in at $2.33 billion that translates to $3.51 per share.
• In Q1 last year, net income was $2.32 billion or $3.21 per share.
• Sales slid 3.1% YoY to $23.66 billion, as per the earnings press release.
• FactSet consensus was for $3.22 of EPS on $23.77 billion in sales.
• Same-store sales were down 4.0% versus a 2.5% decline expected.

A 3.8% decline in U.S. comparable sales, however, was better than a 4.2% decline that experts had forecast.

Future outlook

For fiscal 2022, Lowe’s reiterated its guidance for EPS in the range of $13.10 to $13.60 on up to $99 billion in revenue. The Mooresville-headquartered company plans on buying back $12 billion worth of its stock.

Oppenheimer analyst reacts to the earnings report

According to Oppenheimer’s Brian Nagel, a 4.0% decline in Lowe’s comparable sales is not “that big of a deal”, even after peer Home Depot reported same-store sales growth yesterday. On CNBC’s “Squawk Box”, he said:

He sees the stock down more than 25% from its year-to-date high as “quite cheap”.