[DAILY TRADING] Lowe’s 20 Aug 2026 – LOW Rises as Q2 EPS Beats, Guidance Cut to Range Floor
Updated Updated Thu, 2026 August 20 10:11
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Lowe’s (LOW) had one of those mornings that makes a trading desk earn its coffee. A clean beat on earnings, a miss on revenue, and a guidance cut all landed before 7:30am ET on 19 August 2026, and Lowe’s company stock spent the next few hours arguing with itself over what that mix is worth.[1,2]
In 45 words: Lowe’s (LOW) beat Q2 2026 adjusted EPS estimates by roughly 4%, posting $4.40 versus $4.22 expected, but revenue of $25.96 billion missed forecasts, and full-year guidance was trimmed to the bottom of its prior range as discretionary DIY spending stayed soft into the second half.
This piece walks through what the chart was signalling heading into the print, what Lowe’s actually reported, how the Lowe’s stock price today live has moved since, and where Wall Street stood on Lowe’s home improvement stock before the numbers landed. None of the below should be read as a signal to take a position in Lowe’s or any related instrument.
Key Points
- Lowe’s reported adjusted earnings per share of $4.40 for Q2 fiscal 2026, beating the $4.22 consensus by around 4%, while revenue of $25.96 billion missed the $26.16 billion estimate.[1,6]
- Full-year 2026 guidance was trimmed to the bottom of its prior range: total sales of $92 billion (down from $92-94 billion) and comparable sales flat (down from flat to 2%).[1,3]
- The LOW stock price today has been anything but calm: shares were as much as 4.2% higher in early trading before dropping as much as 3.3% by 7:29am ET, then were quoted roughly 2% higher heading into the regular session.[4,5,2]
- Heading into the print, Lowe’s (LOW) sat below both its fifty-period and two-hundred-period moving averages, with the Relative Strength Index reading 38.06 on the fifteen-minute chart used for this analysis.
What the chart was signalling before the bell
On the fifteen-minute chart used for this analysis, taken ahead of the release, Lowe’s last traded at $215.70, having opened at $216.88 and ranged between $215.62 and $216.97. That placed price below both moving averages: the fifty-period line at $218.20 and the two-hundred-period line at $216.66. The shorter average remained above the longer one, but the gap had narrowed through the second half of the period shown, and the final pre-print candle closed under both lines.
The Relative Strength Index on the same setup read 38.06, below its own moving average of 49.47 and below the neutral fifty mark, pointing to fading short-term momentum rather than an oversold extreme. A reading below thirty is the commonly referenced oversold level, and the index had not reached that zone this session. The final pre-print candle also carried volume of 48.41K, among the heaviest bars on the chart.
The headline numbers behind lowe’s stock price today
Lowe’s posted net earnings of $2.4 billion and diluted earnings per share of $4.27 for the quarter ended 31 July 2026, unchanged from a year earlier. Adjusted diluted earnings per share, which excludes $96 million in acquisition-related expenses, rose 1.6% to $4.40, beating the $4.22 consensus tracked by Zacks. Both EPS figures included an $0.11-per-share benefit from IEEPA tariff refunds. Total sales rose 8.3% to $25.96 billion from $23.96 billion a year earlier, below the $26.16 billion analysts had modelled, according to a survey cited by CNBC.[1,6,2]
Comparable sales increased 0.2%, the fifth straight quarter of positive comps, helped by Pro and home services strength and a 15.7% jump in online sales, partly offset by continued DIY softness. “We’re really pleased to deliver our fifth consecutive quarter of positive sales comps” with strength in Pro, online and home services, chairman, president and chief executive Marvin Ellison told CNBC.[2] Ellison also told CNBC that Lowe’s is “not seeing these customers trade down”; rather, he said, the housing market “is going to gradually recover.”[2]
Lowe’s Q2 FY2026: Actual vs. Estimate vs. Prior Year
| Metric | Q2 FY2026 Actual | Analyst Estimate | Q2 FY2025 |
| Adjusted EPS | $4.40 | $4.22 | $4.33 |
| Diluted EPS (GAAP) | $4.27 | – | $4.27 |
| Total Sales | $25.96B | $26.16B | $23.96B |
| Comparable Sales | +0.2% | Flat to +2% (FY guide) | – |
| FY26 Sales Guidance | $92B | – | $92B–$94B (prior guide) |
| FY26 Adj. EPS Guidance | $12.25 | – | $12.25–$12.75 (prior guide) |
Table 1: Figures compiled from Lowe’s Companies’ second-quarter 2026 press release and analyst-estimate coverage by PR Newswire, CNBC and Zacks. Accessed on 19 August 2026.
Guidance slides to the bottom of the range
Alongside the print, Lowe’s trimmed its full-year 2026 outlook to the bottom of its previously issued ranges: total sales guidance now sits at $92 billion, versus $92 billion to $94 billion previously, and comparable sales guidance moved to flat, versus a prior flat-to-2% range. Adjusted earnings per share guidance narrowed to $12.25, from a prior $12.25 to $12.75 range, a figure that includes tariff refunds recognised so far but excludes any further refunds later in the year.[3,1]
Ellison said on the call that Lowe’s saw “heightened competitive pressures” in July, tied to rivals deploying their own tariff-refund dollars, but that the company does not see this as “the new normal.”[2] Home Depot, which reported its own results a day earlier and reaffirmed guidance, offered a similar read on the backdrop: Chief Financial Officer Richard McPhail said housing conditions are likely to stay “frozen” while 30-year mortgage rates hover near 6.7%, even as Home Depot’s comparable sales held up better than Lowe’s.[3,7]
How wall street was positioned on Lowe’s company stock
Ahead of the print, sell-side coverage of Lowe’s company stock leaned toward trimmed valuations alongside steady ratings. Piper Sandler’s Peter Keith had kept a positive rating on Lowe’s shares while lowering his price objective from $276 to $274, pointing to softer demand for large remodelling projects and dry weather. Bernstein’s Zhihan Ma had reiterated a positive rating while cutting a price objective from $281 to $262, expecting comparable sales near the bottom of the guided range. Coverage-wide, the average price objective on Lowe’s stocks sat near $261 ahead of the release, according to TipRanks, though such figures are estimates rather than guarantees of where shares may trade.[6]
Lowe’s stock price today live: a session of whiplash
Checking the Lowe’s stock price today live shows a session that moved in three directions. Shares were quoted as much as 4.2% higher at $224.71 in the earliest premarket read, according to an Investing.com transcript service, before Bloomberg reported shares down as much as 3.3% in premarket trading by 7:29am ET, as the revenue miss and guidance cut were digested. By the time CNBC checked in, LOW stocks today were back to trading roughly 2% higher. That round trip is a reminder that a single premarket print does not necessarily describe how a low stock price today settles by the close.[5,3,2]
What to watch next
- Third-Quarter Commentary: Ellison flagged competitive pricing pressure as transitory; the next print will show whether that read holds.
- Guidance Cadence: A move to the bottom of a prior range, without an outright cut, is a softer signal than a formal downgrade and is worth watching for revision either way.
- Moving Average Structure: The fifty-period and two-hundred-period lines on the pre-print chart sat in a narrowing gap; today’s volume will likely reset that picture.
- Home Depot Read-Across: Home Depot’s steadier comparable sales a day earlier, against Lowe’s softer print, is a data point on how the two retailers’ customer bases differ.
Risk considerations
Earnings days are a well-known source of short-term volatility in individual share CFDs, and today’s session, with a beat, a miss, and a guidance cut in one release, is a clear example why. None of the analysis here should be read as a signal to take a specific position in Lowe’s or any related instrument. A Stop Loss order is one tool traders use to define in advance the point at which a position is closed, which can help limit losses to a planned size relative to a trader’s account equity, particularly on a session like this one.
Lowe’s is available at Vantage as a share CFD with leverage of up to 33.3:1, and leverage is a double-edged tool: it can magnify favourable price movements just as easily as it can magnify losses, and it does not reduce the uncertainty around how a stock reacts on an earnings day. Position sizing proportional to account equity, rather than to a specific share price level, is a foundational risk-management habit on a session where Lowe’s stock market activity has already moved both ways. For further earnings news, market news, technical analysis and risk management coverage, visit the Vantage homepage.
RISK WARNING: CFDs are complex financial instruments and carry a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should ensure you fully understand the risks involved and carefully consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money before trading.
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References
[1] “Lowe’s Reports Second Quarter 2026 Sales and Earnings Results” – PR Newswire https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lowes-reports-second-quarter-2026-sales-and-earnings-results-302854643.html Accessed on 19 August 2026.
[2] “Lowe’s (LOW) Q2 2026 earnings” – CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/19/lowes-low-q2-2026-earnings.html Accessed on 19 August 2026.
[3] “Lowe’s cuts annual sales growth forecast as consumers curb high-cost renovations” – BNN Bloomberg https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/company-news/2026/08/19/lowes-cuts-annual-sales-growth-forecast-as-consumers-curb-high-cost-renovations/ Accessed on 19 August 2026.
[4] “Earnings call transcript: Lowe’s tops Q2 EPS forecast as shares rise 4.2%” – Investing.com https://www.investing.com/news/transcripts/earnings-call-transcript-lowes-tops-q2-eps-forecast-as-shares-rise-42-93CH-4867779 Accessed on 19 August 2026.
[5] “Lowe’s Q2 Earnings Beat on Tariff Refunds, FY’26 Outlook Moves Lower” – Zacks via TradingView https://www.tradingview.com/news/zacks:2862fb823094b:0-lowe-s-q2-earnings-beat-on-tariff-refunds-fy-26-outlook-moves-lower/ Accessed on 19 August 2026.
[6] “Lowe’s (LOW) Reports Q2 Earnings on August 19 – Here’s What Analysts Expect” – TipRanks https://www.tipranks.com/news/lowes-low-reports-q2-earnings-on-august-19-heres-what-analysts-expect Accessed on 19 August 2026.
[7] “Home Depot Q2 Net Sales Rise 5.7% YoY to Beat Estimates, Shares Buck Trend to Gain Over 1%” – TradingKey https://www.tradingkey.com/analysis/stocks/us-stocks/262115442-homedepot-hd-second-quarter-2026-results-tradingkey Accessed on 19 August 2026.
