Lowe's Stock: Price Swings vs. Home Depot's Stability

Okay, so Lowe's stock popped 4% after their earnings call. Big deal. In this market, a squirrel farting in the right direction can send a stock soaring. But let's not pretend this is some miraculous turnaround.

The Numbers Game

Lowe's says sales grew, but then they immediately lowered their full-year profit outlook. Classic corporate double-speak. "Everything's awesome! ...Except the part where we're making less money." They're blaming "economic uncertainty." Give me a break. Everyone's facing the same "economic uncertainty," but some companies manage to, you know, actually grow profits.

And get this: revenue missed expectations. $20.81 billion vs. the $20.82 billion expected. A rounding error, sure, but it's the principle of the thing. You either hit the target, or you don't. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, people.

They're touting positive comparable sales in the third quarter. Okay, fine, up 0.4%. Pathetic. Excitement doesn't even begin to describe that. That's like celebrating a participation trophy.

The "Pro" Problem

Lowe's is desperately trying to woo contractors and other "pros" to offset the decline in DIYers. Which, offcourse, makes sense. DIY is dead. Who has the time or energy to fix their own toilet when you can just pay someone else to do it while you're doomscrolling on TikTok?

They bought Foundation Building Materials for $8.8 billion. EIGHT. POINT. EIGHT. BILLION. Dollars. Back in 2025. A distributor of drywall and insulation. Seriously? That's like buying a fleet of dump trucks to fix a leaky faucet. Overkill much? Was that money well spent? I have my doubts.

CFO Brandon Sink is "cautiously optimistic about 2026." Cautiously optimistic? That's the financial equivalent of a shrug. What trends are they actually seeing that inspire this tepid optimism? He mentions stronger sales on the pro side and in appliances. Appliances? People are buying more fridges and washing machines? Is this really the hill you want to die on, Lowe's?

And "early signs of life" in home services. Early signs of life? Are they resuscitating a corpse? Let's be real: home services is a fragmented, competitive mess. Good luck with that.

Oh, and Home Depot lowered their full-year profit forecast too. Misery loves company, I guess.

The Homeowner Hype

CEO Marvin Ellison says U.S. homeowners are "healthy" but "hesitant" to make pricier purchases. Healthy? Maybe. Hesitant? Definitely. Who's got the cash to throw around on a kitchen remodel when inflation is eating your lunch and the stock market is doing the cha-cha? I know I ain't.

They expect us to believe this nonsense, and honestly... maybe I'm being too harsh. Maybe there is something there, maybe the stock will go to the moon. But I doubt it, it's Lowe's after all.

So, What's the Real Story?

This ain't a comeback, it's a holding pattern. Lowe's is flailing, trying to find its footing in a market that's shifting faster than they can adapt. The "dead cat bounce" in the lowes stock price today is just that: a temporary blip. Don't be fooled.