What happened
Home improvement giant Lowe's (NYSE: LOW) trailed the market last month, dropping 15% compared to a 4% decrease in the S&P 500, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence .
The slump widened the gap between Lowe's and its chief rival, Home Depot (NYSE: HD) , which has seen its shares rise 60% over the past three years compared to a 16% increase for Lowe's.
So what
Lowe's fourth-quarter results didn't stack up well against the industry giant. In late February, the retailer announced a 4.1% increase in comparable-store sales that, while slightly better than expected, trailed Home Depot's 7.5% rate.
Profitability dipped, too, even as the retailer endured a modest drop in customer traffic. Home Depot, in contrast, managed a healthy 2% traffic boost.
Now what
CEO Robert Niblock and his team aren't happy with their broader retailing trends, so they've announced a wide range of initiatives they'll be taking in 2018 aimed at boosting sales growth, gross profit margin, and financial efficiency.
Management's forecast, meanwhile, predicts another year of yielding modest market share to the industry leader. Comps are projected to rise by 3.5%, compared to Home Depot's expectations of a 5% increase.
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Demitrios Kalogeropoulos owns shares of Home Depot. The Motley Fool has the following options: short May 2018 $175 calls on Home Depot and long January 2020 $110 calls on Home Depot. The Motley Fool recommends Home Depot and Lowe's. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
