Lowe's management keeps 2026 full-year EPS guidance flat ahead of Q1 call
- Seeking Alpha reported on May 15 that Lowe's management is maintaining flat full-year EPS guidance for 2026 while pivoting toward growth this week. - The analysis noted investors expect dividend increases in late May and that Wall Street remains moderately optimistic despite the stock's lag so far. - Lowe's scheduled its first-quarter 2026 earnings call for May 20, the company confirmed on May 13. (seekingalpha.com)
Lowe’s is heading into its May 20 first-quarter earnings call with its full-year 2026 profit target unchanged from the outlook it set in February. The company said on Feb. 25 that fiscal 2026 adjusted diluted earnings per share would be $12.15 to $12.40, alongside sales of $92 billion to $94 billion and comparable sales ranging from flat to up 2%. (corporate.lowes.com) That matters because the guidance already built in a mixed backdrop. Lowe’s said in its fourth-quarter release that the 2026 outlook “reflects ongoing uncertainty in the home improvement market,” even as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Marvin Ellison said the company remained focused on productivity initiatives and taking market share. (corporate.lowes.com) The company’s public messaging has also leaned toward growth initiatives rather than a reset to lower expectations. In Lowe’s 2026 proxy statement, Ellison and board chair Richard Dreiling said the company’s “refreshed Total Home strategy” remained its “North Star” and pointed to initiatives aimed at Pro and DIY customers, AI-related operating tools, and the integration of Artisan Design Group and Foundation Building Materials. (corporate.lowes.com) The base Lowe’s is growing from is larger than it was a year earlier. Fiscal 2025 sales were $86.3 billion, according to the proxy, and the company said total fiscal 2025 sales were more than $86 billion in its earnings materials. In the fourth quarter alone, sales rose to $20.6 billion from $18.6 billion, while comparable sales increased 1.3%. (corporate.lowes.com) The acquisitions are part of why revenue growth and earnings growth are not moving in lockstep. Lowe’s said fourth-quarter results included $149 million of pre-tax expenses tied to the FBM and ADG deals. It still posted adjusted diluted EPS of $1.98 for the quarter, up 2.6% from a year earlier, while introducing a 2026 outlook that called for 7% to 9% sales growth but only a relatively narrow adjusted EPS range. (corporate.lowes.com) Dividend expectations are a separate issue from the earnings guide. Lowe’s last declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.20 a share on March 19, payable May 6 to shareholders of record on April 22. The company raised the quarterly dividend to $1.20 on May 30, 2025, describing that move as a 4% increase over the prior $1.15 rate. (corporate.lowes.com) The next hard catalyst is scheduled. Lowe’s said on May 13 that it will host its first-quarter 2026 earnings conference call at 9 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, May 20, with supplemental materials posted 15 minutes before the call and a webcast replay available from noon that day through May 19, 2027. (corporate.lowes.com)
