Compare · Consumer Discretionary
Home Depot vs. Lowe's: how they make money
The same facts for both companies, in the same order, from each company's own page and filings. This is not a ranking and says nothing about which share to own.
Each company in 5 points
Home Depot
1 · What it sells
Home Depot sells home improvement goods, building materials and garden products in 2,364 stores at Aug 2, 2026 and online, plus trade supplies through SRS, with net sales of $164.7 billion in FY2025 (February 2025 to January 2026).
Sources and detail on the Home Depot page2 · Who pays it
Home Depot's filings give no split between homeowners and professionals, and management said on Dec 9, 2025 that small to medium Pros are roughly half of sales; by filed segment, FY2025 net sales were 92.3% Primary and 7.7% Other (SRS).
Sources and detail on the Home Depot page3 · What it keeps from $100
Of every $100 that came in during FY2025, Home Depot kept $8.6 as net income, with no large one-off item that year; operating income per $100 of net sales was $12.7.
Sources and detail on the Home Depot page4 · Where the operating profit comes from
In FY2025, Primary (stores, websites and HD Supply) earned $20.6 billion, or 98.5% of operating income, and Other (SRS) earned $316 million, or 1.5%.
Sources and detail on the Home Depot page5 · The one thing to watch
Q2 FY2026 (May 4 to Aug 2, 2026) operating margin was 14.3%, including about $685 million of tariff refunds in cost of goods sold, against 14.5% a year earlier.
Sources and detail on the Home Depot page
Lowe's
1 · What it sells
Lowe's sells home improvement goods, appliances and building materials in 1,761 US stores at Jul 31, 2026 and online, plus supplies for larger contractors through FBM and ADG, with net sales of $86.3 billion in FY2025 (February 2025 to January 2026).
Sources and detail on the Lowe's page2 · Who pays it
Lowe's filings give no split between homeowners and professionals; by filed segment, FY2025 net sales were 97.4% Retail Home Improvement and 2.6% Other (FBM and ADG, owned for part of the year).
Sources and detail on the Lowe's page3 · What it keeps from $100
Of every $100 of FY2025 net sales, Lowe's kept $7.7 as net income, after $321 million of acquisition costs and amortization before tax; operating income per $100 of net sales was $11.8.
Sources and detail on the Lowe's page4 · Where the operating profit comes from
In FY2025, Retail Home Improvement earned $10.2 billion of operating income, or 100.7% of the total, because Other (FBM and ADG) had a $70 million operating loss.
Sources and detail on the Lowe's page5 · The one thing to watch
Q2 FY2026 (May 2 to Jul 31, 2026) net sales rose 8.3% and comparable sales rose 0.2%, while Other's sales were $1.9 billion against $138 million a year earlier.
Sources and detail on the Lowe's page
Where each $100 went
Each company's own receipt for its latest full fiscal year, with matching lines in the same order where both have them.
Home Depot
Where $100 went · FY2025 (February 2025 to January 2026)
| Cost of sales | $66.6 |
|---|---|
| Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) | $18.6 |
| Depreciation and amortization outside cost of sales | $2.0 |
| Interest expense | $1.5 |
| Income taxes | $2.7 |
| Kept as net income | $8.6 |
| Total | $100 |
Cityfort calculation from FY2025 10-K. Of every $100 that came in during FY2025 (net sales plus $124 million of interest income and other): each line = line ÷ $164.8 billion × 100. FY2025 has no large one-off item.
Lowe's
Where $100 went · FY2025 (February 2025 to January 2026)
| Cost of sales | $66.5 |
|---|---|
| Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) | $19.5 |
| Depreciation and amortization outside cost of sales | $2.2 |
| Interest, net | $1.6 |
| Income taxes | $2.4 |
| Kept as net income | $7.7 |
| Total | $100 |
Cityfort calculation from FY2025 10-K. Of every $100 of FY2025 net sales: each line = line ÷ $86.3 billion × 100, rounded, so the lines add to $99.9. Lowe's reports interest income inside net interest, so net sales is the whole of the money in. FY2025 net income is after $321 million of acquisition costs and amortization before tax.
Line items differ because each company groups its costs its own way in its filings. Only on Home Depot's receipt: Interest expense. Only on Lowe's receipt: Interest, net.
Revenue, net income and free cash flow
Up to five fiscal years for each company, drawn on one shared scale per measure. Amounts in US$ as reported (GAAP).
Revenue
Home Depot
Lowe's
See the numbers
Net income
Home Depot
Lowe's
See the numbers
Free cash flow
Home Depot
Lowe's
See the numbers
Who pays each company
Home Depot
- Customers of stores, websites and HD Supply · 92.3% of revenueHomeowners doing their own projects, homeowners who hire Pros, and professionals: 92.3% of FY2025 net sales ($152.0 billion). Filings give no split. Management said on Dec 9, 2025 that small to medium Pros "make up roughly half of our sales", and did not say whether that base includes SRS.
- Trade contractors buying from SRS · 7.7% of revenueRoofers, landscapers, pool contractors and drywall and ceiling installers: 7.7% of FY2025 net sales ($12.7 billion).
Lowe's
- Customers of stores and the website · 97.4% of revenueHomeowners and renters doing their own projects or hiring someone, and mostly small to medium professional contractors (Pros): 97.4% of FY2025 net sales ($84.1 billion). Filings give no split. A company slide on Aug 20, 2025 put Pro sales at about 30% of the total in 2025.
- Larger contractors and builders buying from FBM and ADG · 2.6% of revenueLarge residential and commercial contractors, home builders and property managers: 2.6% of FY2025 net sales ($2.2 billion), for part of the year. ADG joined on Jun 2, 2025 and FBM on Oct 9, 2025.
Revenue by segment
Home Depot
FY2025 (February 2025 to January 2026)
| Segment | Revenue | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | $152.0B | 92.3% |
| Other (SRS) | $12.7B | 7.7% |
Lowe's
FY2025 (February 2025 to January 2026)
| Segment | Revenue | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Home Improvement | $84.1B | 97.4% |
| Other (FBM and ADG) | $2.2B | 2.6% |
Debt and cash
Home Depot
- Debt
- $52.9B
- Cash and investments
- $2.1B
On Aug 2, 2026.
At Aug 2, 2026 debt exceeded cash by $50.8 billion, about 2.7 times the $18.8 billion of operating cash flow in the prior four quarters, which include about $730 million of tariff refunds.
Lowe's
- Debt
- $37.6B
- Cash and investments
- $3.2B
On Jul 31, 2026.
At Jul 31, 2026 debt exceeded cash by $34.4 billion, about 3.7 times the $9.3 billion of operating cash flow in the prior four quarters.
Sources: Home Depot S1, S3, S5, S7, S15 · Lowe's S1, S4, S7, S8
Who owns each company
Home Depot
- One class of shares.
- Officers and directors as a group: 0.1% of shares (as of Mar 6, 2026).
- Vanguard Capital Management: 7.5% (as of Mar 31, 2026).
- BlackRock, Inc.: 7.1% (as of Dec 31, 2023).
Lowe's
- One class of shares.
- Vanguard Capital Management: 7.5% (as of Mar 31, 2026).
- BlackRock, Inc.: 7.1% (as of Dec 31, 2023).
- JPMorgan Chase & Co.: 6.6% (as of Sep 30, 2025).
- 1 more holders on the Lowe's page.
Sources: Home Depot S7, S26, S33, S34, S35, S36, S45 · Lowe's S7, S26, S40, S42, S44, S46, S43
Risks only one page tracks
Risks whose type the other company's page does not list. Both pages track risks of these types: demand, regulation, debt, execution, competition. Every risk is on each company's page.
Home Depot
- Credit extended to trade customers (other)The 10-K says specialty trade and maintenance customers increasingly buy on credit, which raises exposure to non-payment. Receivables were $7.0 billion at Aug 2, 2026, up from $5.9 billion a year earlier.
- Commodity and input costs (commodity costs)The 10-K names commodity prices, including lumber, as a risk. The Q2 FY2026 release cites unplanned fuel, energy and other product input costs.
Lowe's
- Third-party installers (legal cases)The 10-K says installer failures have resulted in, and could result in, legal risks. Lowe's agreed in 2025, without admitting liability, to a $12.5 million civil penalty in an EPA lead-safe matter.
- Technology overhaul (technology)The 10-K describes a multi-year transformation of replenishment and finance systems, and names cybersecurity and AI among its risks.
Key facts
- How does Home Depot make money compared with Lowe's?
- Home Depot's revenue by segment in FY2025 (February 2025 to January 2026): Primary 92.3%, Other (SRS) 7.7%. Lowe's revenue by segment in FY2025 (February 2025 to January 2026): Retail Home Improvement 97.4%, Other (FBM and ADG) 2.6%.
- Which is bigger by revenue, Home Depot or Lowe's?
- Home Depot reported $164.7B of revenue in FY2025, and Lowe's reported $86.3B in FY2025.
- How much net income did Home Depot and Lowe's report?
- Home Depot reported net income of $14.2B in FY2025, and Lowe's reported $6.7B in FY2025.
- How much of every $100 did Home Depot and Lowe's keep as net income?
- Home Depot kept $8.6 of every $100 that came in during FY2025 (February 2025 to January 2026), and Lowe's kept $7.7 in FY2025 (February 2025 to January 2026) (Cityfort calculation from each company's annual report).
- How much debt and cash do Home Depot and Lowe's have?
- Home Depot had $52.9B of debt and $2.1B of cash and investments on Aug 2, 2026. Lowe's had $37.6B of debt and $3.2B of cash and investments on Jul 31, 2026.
- When do Home Depot's and Lowe's fiscal years end?
- Home Depot: Sunday nearest Jan 31. Lowe's: Friday nearest Jan 31.
Sources: Home Depot S3, S46, S1, S42, S5, S7, S15 · Lowe's S4, S46, S1, S7, S30, S8
Built from each company's page. Home Depot updated Nov 1, 2026; Lowe's updated Nov 6, 2026.
Sources
Home Depot
- S1Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 (year ended Feb 1, 2026), The Home Depot, Inc. (SEC EDGAR), Mar 18, 2026
- S3Form 10-K for fiscal 2023 (year ended Jan 28, 2024), The Home Depot, Inc. (SEC EDGAR), Mar 13, 2024
- S5Form 10-K for fiscal 2021 (year ended Jan 30, 2022), The Home Depot, Inc. (SEC EDGAR), Mar 23, 2022
- S7Form 10-Q for Q2 fiscal 2026 (quarter ended Aug 2, 2026), The Home Depot, Inc. (SEC EDGAR), Aug 25, 2026
- S15Earnings release, Q2 fiscal 2026 (8-K Ex. 99.1), The Home Depot, Inc. (SEC EDGAR), Aug 18, 2026
- S26Proxy statement (DEF 14A), 2026 annual meeting, The Home Depot, Inc. (SEC EDGAR), Apr 7, 2026
- S33Schedule 13G: Vanguard Capital Management, Vanguard Capital Management (SEC EDGAR), Apr 30, 2026
- S34Schedule 13G/A: The Vanguard Group (realignment; reports 0 shares), The Vanguard Group (SEC EDGAR), Mar 27, 2026
- S35Schedule 13G/A: The Vanguard Group, The Vanguard Group (SEC EDGAR), Dec 3, 2025
- S36Schedule 13G/A: BlackRock, Inc., BlackRock, Inc. (SEC EDGAR), Jan 26, 2024
- S422025 Investor Conference transcript, The Home Depot, Inc. (company IR), Dec 9, 2025
- S45EDGAR submissions list for CIK 0000354950, SEC EDGAR, Nov 1, 2026
- S46SEC XBRL company facts for CIK 0000354950, SEC EDGAR, Nov 1, 2026
Lowe's
- S1Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 (year ended Jan 30, 2026), Lowe's Companies, Inc. (SEC EDGAR), Mar 23, 2026
- S4Form 10-K for fiscal 2022 (53 weeks, year ended Feb 3, 2023), Lowe's Companies, Inc. (SEC EDGAR), Mar 27, 2023
- S7Form 10-Q for Q2 fiscal 2026 (quarter ended Jul 31, 2026), Lowe's Companies, Inc. (SEC EDGAR), Aug 27, 2026
- S8Form 10-Q for Q1 fiscal 2026 (quarter ended May 1, 2026), Lowe's Companies, Inc. (SEC EDGAR), May 28, 2026
- S262026 proxy statement (DEF 14A), Lowe's Companies, Inc. (SEC EDGAR), Apr 16, 2026
- S30Acquisition of Foundation Building Materials presentation (8-K filed Aug 20, 2025, Exhibit 99.2), Lowe's Companies, Inc. (SEC EDGAR), Aug 20, 2025
- S40Schedule 13G, Vanguard Capital Management (event Mar 31, 2026), SEC EDGAR, Apr 30, 2026
- S42Schedule 13G/A, The Vanguard Group (event Mar 13, 2026; reports 0 after internal realignment), SEC EDGAR, Mar 27, 2026
- S43Schedule 13G/A, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (event Sep 30, 2025), SEC EDGAR, Oct 31, 2025
- S44Schedule 13G/A, BlackRock, Inc. (event Dec 31, 2023), SEC EDGAR, Jan 26, 2024
- S46EDGAR submissions and XBRL company facts for CIK 0000060667, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Nov 5, 2026
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