Lowe's Q2 2027 Earnings Analysis

More earnings analysis: https://betafinch.comGroups: RETAIL (https://betafinch.com/groups/RETAIL)──────────I'll write the podcast script now based on the transcript.WELCOME TO BETA FINCH, YOUR AI-POWERED EARNINGS BREAKDOWNALEX: Welcome to Beta Finch, your AI-powered earnings breakdown. I'm Alex, joined as always by Jordan, and today we're digging into Lowe's second quarter fiscal 2026 results, reported August 19th. Before we get into it — this podcast is AI-generated content for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing we discuss should be considered investment advice. Always do your own research and consult a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions.JORDAN: Good disclaimer to lead with, because this quarter has a little bit of everything — solid execution undercut by some messy competitive dynamics. Should be a fun one to unpack.ALEX: Let's start with the topline. Lowe's did $26 billion in sales for the quarter, up 8.3% year-over-year, but that growth is mostly acquisition-driven — comparable sales, meaning existing stores, only rose 0.2%. GAAP diluted EPS came in at $4.27, and adjusted EPS was $4.40, which included an $0.11 benefit from tariff refunds.JORDAN: And that $0.11 detail matters more than it sounds like at first. CFO Brandon Sink was clear that even excluding the tariff refund, adjusted EPS beat expectations. So the underlying business performed better than the headline number suggests — that refund wasn't propping up an otherwise weak quarter.ALEX: Right, and comp sales broke down interestingly by month — May was down 0.4%, June up 1.7%, July down 1.2%. Some of that swing is just calendar noise, the July 4th holiday shifted between June and July and moved about 75 basis points back and forth.JORDAN: But the more important July story wasn't calendar — it was competitive. Management said competitors used their own tariff refund dollars to slash prices, particularly in seasonal categories like grills, patio furniture, and live goods. Lowe's chose not to chase those promotions.ALEX: Yeah, CEO Marvin Ellison was pretty blunt about that in the Q&A — he said matching those prices "was not in our financial plan" and wasn't "financially prudent." Basically: we can see who got tariff refunds by looking at whose gross margin cratered.JORDAN: Which is a pretty sharp comment aimed squarely at competitors. But it also tells you something about Lowe's discipline here — they'd rather protect margin than chase a short-term share number in a category they view as transitory. Whether that's the right call long-term is the real debate for investors.ALEX: Let's talk about where the strength actually showed up, because it wasn't uniform. Lowe's has been leaning hard into what they call the "Total Home" strategy — basically diversifying beyond the DIY homeowner into professional contractors, online, and installed services.JORDAN: And that strategy is clearly doing the heavy lifting. Online sales grew nearly 16% — that's back-to-back quarters above 15%. Pro customers kept growing too, especially small and medium-sized contractors. Home Services, the "do it for me" installation business, also grew. Meanwhile, discretionary DIY spending — think big remodeling projects — stayed under pressure.ALEX: One thing that jumped out to me was Mylow, their AI shopping assistant. They said it's fielded over 25 million questions from customers and store associates combined, and customers who use it convert at three times the rate of those who don't.JORDAN: That's a genuinely strong stat. It's early days for how much AI tools move the needle in retail, but a 3x conversion lift is not a rounding error — that's a real behavioral signal. Worth watching whether that holds up as adoption scales further.ALEX: On the Pro side, they've been building out FBM and ADG — Foundation Building Materials and Artisan Design Group, two acquisitions aimed at bigger professional and construction customersThis episode includes AI-generated content.