Lowe’s Companies Inc

Lowe’s delivered an impressive set of results this quarter and managed to surpass Wall Street expectations in terms of revenues as well as earnings. The company’s Pro business maintained its momentum, resulting from the success of its Pro efforts and the tenacity of the demand for home renovation. Their ongoing focus on productivity and solid sales growth contributed to improved operating performance which ensured the earnings beat. This quarter, the company also made substantial progress in the country-wide implementation of its market distribution strategy for large and bulky products, covering Southern California, Southern Illinois, and Atlanta, Georgia. Besides, the management established a new coastal holding facility in the Virginia port city of Suffolk. They can now store merchandise upstream from their distribution hubs thanks to their enlarged coastal holding facility network. Among other key updates, Lowe’s also agreed to sell its Canadian retail business to Sycamore Partners for $400 million. We give Lowe’s a ‘Hold’ rating with a revised target price.