Home Depot vs. Lowe’s: Q4 comparison

On Tuesday, Lowe’s reported its fourth-quarter financial results. On Wednesday, it was Home Depot’s turn. How do the two home center giants compare?   

On the surface, Home Depot’s 13.9% sales gain stands in stark contrast to Lowe’s and its fourth-quarter sales decline of 5.0%. But Home Depot had an extra week in its fourth quarter calendar, while Lowe’s had one less week compared with the previous year. 

Here are the side-by-side key business metrics, adjusted to uniform 13-week periods. 

Q4 total sales

Home Depot: $17.0 billion

Lowe’s: $11.0 billion 

Q4 total sales increase

Home Depot: 6.3%

Lowe’s: 2.8%

Q4 comparable-store sales

Home Depot: 7.0%

Lowe’s:  1.9%

FY total sales

Home Depot: $73.6 billion

Lowe’s: $50.5 billion 

FY total sales increase

Home Depot: 4.5%

Lowe’s: 2.2% 

FY comparable-store sales

Home Depot: 4.6%

Lowe’s: 2.2%