Lowe’s tops estimates as customers invest more in bigger home projects, retailer lifts sales forecast

Lowe’s beat analysts’ expectations for fiscal third-quarter earnings on Wednesday, as the company got a bump in business from home professionals and online sales.

The home improvement retailer also raised its forecast. It had previously predicted $92 billion in revenue this fiscal year. Now, it anticipates about $95 billion.

Shares rose nearly 2% in premarket trading.

Here’s what the company reported for the fiscal third quarter ended Oct. 29 compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by Refinitiv:

• Earnings per share: $2.73 vs. $2.36 expected
• Revenue: $22.92 billion vs. $22.06 billion expected

Lowe’s profits rose to $1.90 billion, or $2.73 per share, from $692 million, or 91 cents a share, a year earlier. The results outmatched the $2.36 per share expected by analysts surveyed by Refinitiv.

Net sales climbed to $22.92 billion from $22.31 billion last year and were higher than analysts’ expectations of $22.06 billion.

Lowe’s same-store sales grew by 2.2% in the three-month period. That was a sharp difference from analysts’ prediction of a 1.5% decline, according to StreetAccount.

The retailer has stepped up efforts to attract more home professionals, such as contractors and electricians, since they are steadier and bigger spenders. CEO Marvin Ellison said in a press release that the company’s sales to pros rose 16% in the third quarter. He said sales on its website jumped by 25%.

Read the company’s press release here.

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