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Stock Analysis on Net

Lowe’s Cos. Inc. (NYSE:LOW)

Cash Flow Statement
Quarterly Data

The cash flow statement provides information about a company cash receipts and cash payments during an accounting period, showing how these cash flows link the ending cash balance to the beginning balance shown on the company balance sheet.

The cash flow statement consists of three parts: cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities, cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities, and cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities.

Lowe’s Cos. Inc., consolidated cash flow statement (quarterly data)

US$ in millions

Microsoft Excel
3 months ended: Jul 31, 2026 May 1, 2026 Jan 30, 2026 Oct 31, 2025 Aug 1, 2025 May 2, 2025 Jan 31, 2025 Nov 1, 2024 Aug 2, 2024 May 3, 2024 Feb 2, 2024 Nov 3, 2023 Aug 4, 2023 May 5, 2023 Feb 3, 2023 Oct 28, 2022 Jul 29, 2022 Apr 29, 2022 Jan 28, 2022 Oct 29, 2021 Jul 30, 2021 Apr 30, 2021 Jan 29, 2021 Oct 30, 2020 Jul 31, 2020 May 1, 2020
Net earnings 2,399 1,628 1,000 1,616 2,397 1,641 1,124 1,696 2,382 1,755 1,020 1,773 2,673 2,260 958 154 2,992 2,333 1,207 1,895 3,019 2,321 978 692 2,828 1,337
Depreciation and amortization 648 644 637 535 515 507 511 494 481 486 496 486 476 465 472 502 504 503 494 481 464 443 442 405 374 373
Noncash lease expense 169 169 167 138 136 131 128 132 129 131 129 129 133 108 127 130 138 135 134 131 128 124 123 122 118 116
Deferred income taxes (38) 203 232 (46) (56) 126 19 (76) (69) 135 33 (50) (79) 102 13 (252) (59) 59 39 (14) — 110 (113) 19 (60) 46
(Gain) loss on property and other assets, net 11 4 8 15 10 20 (6) 15 3 (7) 33 27 12 11 5 2,081 28 4 9 24 16 (15) 25 34 63 17
(Gain) loss on sale of business — — — — — — (80) (54) (43) — — (12) — (67) 421 — — — — — — — — — — —
Loss on extinguishment of debt — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1,060 — —
Share-based payment expense 67 65 70 60 59 58 57 54 55 55 50 47 54 59 58 55 60 50 61 54 61 54 48 43 37 27
Receivables, net (94) (63) — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Merchandise inventory, net 709 (1,145) (113) (357) 2,099 (926) 158 (725) 1,383 (1,330) 635 (107) 2,099 (990) (286) (580) 918 (2,646) (967) 650 1,027 (2,123) (422) (1,871) 509 (1,183)
Other operating assets 361 (125) (269) 28 104 (106) (21) (15) 215 (86) (54) 12 67 157 36 140 92 (212) 107 73 140 (343) 179 81 272 (206)
Accounts payable (899) 2,212 (479) 402 (1,795) 1,945 (1,311) 265 (1,354) 3,033 (1,210) (419) (1,552) 1,361 (1,470) (358) (1,200) 2,479 30 (679) (1,943) 3,058 (1,888) (160) 2,052 3,207
Other operating liabilities 326 (242) 314 (1,704) 762 (17) 332 (487) (29) 90 (24) (822) (21) (1,360) 117 254 (438) 272 (180) (349) (491) 863 192 (692) 1,109 716
Changes in operating assets and liabilities 403 637 (547) (1,631) 1,170 896 (842) (962) 215 1,707 (653) (1,336) 593 (832) (1,603) (544) (628) (107) (1,010) (305) (1,267) 1,455 (1,939) (2,642) 3,942 2,534
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities 1,260 1,722 567 (929) 1,834 1,738 (213) (397) 771 2,507 88 (709) 1,189 (154) (507) 1,972 43 644 (273) 371 (598) 2,171 (1,414) (959) 4,474 3,113
Net cash provided by operating activities 3,659 3,350 1,567 687 4,231 3,379 911 1,299 3,153 4,262 1,108 1,064 3,862 2,106 451 2,126 3,035 2,977 934 2,266 2,421 4,492 (436) (267) 7,302 4,450
Purchases of investments (471) (337) (403) (445) (454) (391) (287) (371) (351) (277) (502) (405) (428) (450) (530) (329) (221) (109) (740) (690) (1,342) (293) (546) (1,416) (1,062) (70)
Proceeds from sale/maturity of investments 760 319 406 425 452 375 286 347 305 266 507 404 399 412 577 307 158 132 1,032 1,569 345 347 1,894 772 153 107
Capital expenditures (542) (521) (603) (597) (495) (518) (548) (571) (426) (382) (620) (579) (385) (380) (739) (403) (344) (343) (597) (410) (385) (461) (619) (462) (382) (328)
Proceeds from sale of property and other long-term assets 2 6 57 18 5 2 51 32 7 15 24 12 9 8 8 18 9 10 19 16 14 64 30 14 21 25
Acquisition of business, net (5) — (33) (8,741) (1,314) — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Proceeds from sale of business — — — — — — 80 54 43 — — (23) — 123 491 — — — — — — — — — — —
Other, net (4) 32 (1) (4) (4) (1) — (11) — — (4) — (6) (17) (1) 1 (1) — — — — (134) (1) — (2) (22)
Net cash used in investing activities (260) (501) (577) (9,344) (1,810) (533) (418) (520) (422) (378) (595) (591) (411) (304) (194) (406) (399) (310) (286) 485 (1,368) (477) 758 (1,092) (1,272) (288)
Net change in commercial paper (378) 378 — — — — — — — — — — (72) (427) 499 — — — — — — — — — — (941)
Net proceeds from issuance of debt — — — 6,974 — — — — — — — — — 2,983 — 4,703 — 4,964 — 1,984 1,000 1,988 — 3,968 — 3,961
Repayment of debt (21) (2,376) (19) (1,772) (18) (778) (23) (475) (25) (22) (25) (531) (23) (22) (36) (32) (26) (773) (1,523) (27) (25) (543) (36) (5,014) (25) (543)
Proceeds from issuance of common stock under share-based payment plans 69 2 67 12 68 2 64 11 69 15 62 3 71 5 65 14 71 1 60 9 54 9 50 19 79 4
Cash dividend payments (672) (674) (673) (673) (645) (645) (650) (654) (629) (633) (632) (642) (624) (633) (643) (666) (524) (537) (551) (563) (430) (440) (452) (416) (416) (420)
Repurchases of common stock (3) (363) — (98) (1) (112) (1,372) (751) (1,007) (923) (201) (1,581) (2,250) (2,106) (1,997) (3,999) (4,091) (4,037) (4,013) (2,825) (3,136) (3,038) (3,443) (562) — (966)
Other, net (8) (12) (4) (25) (19) (20) (22) 1 (16) (5) (6) (6) (9) — (5) 2 2 (4) 402 (42) (370) 4 (6) (28) (1) (3)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities (1,013) (3,045) (629) 4,418 (615) (1,553) (2,003) (1,868) (1,608) (1,568) (802) (2,757) (2,907) (200) (2,117) 22 (4,568) (386) (5,625) (1,464) (2,907) (2,020) (3,887) (2,033) (363) 1,092
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 16 (32) — — (11) (1) (3) 7 6 — 19 (15)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 2,386 (196) 361 (4,239) 1,806 1,293 (1,510) (1,089) 1,123 2,316 (289) (2,284) 544 1,602 (1,844) 1,710 (1,932) 2,281 (4,988) 1,286 (1,857) 2,002 (3,559) (3,392) 5,686 5,239

Based on: 10-Q (reporting date: 2026-07-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2026-05-01), 10-K (reporting date: 2026-01-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-10-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-08-01), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-05-02), 10-K (reporting date: 2025-01-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-11-01), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-08-02), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-05-03), 10-K (reporting date: 2024-02-02), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-11-03), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-08-04), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-05-05), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-02-03), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-10-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-07-29), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-04-29), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-01-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-10-29), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-07-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-04-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-01-29), 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-10-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-07-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-05-01).


The cash flow profile is characterized by robust operating cash generation, a strategic pivot in capital allocation from aggressive share repurchases to targeted acquisitions, and a disciplined approach to shareholder dividends.

Operating Activities and Working Capital
Net earnings exhibit significant quarterly volatility, typically peaking in the second and third quarters of the year. Net cash provided by operating activities generally remains positive, though it is heavily influenced by seasonal swings in working capital. Merchandise inventory and accounts payable show reciprocal volatility, indicating a cyclical pattern of inventory accumulation and vendor payment management. A notable decline in net earnings occurred in October 2022, though operating cash flow remained positive during that period due to non-cash adjustments.
Investing Strategy and Capital Expenditure
Capital expenditures demonstrate a steady upward trend, moving from a range of 300 to 400 million dollars in 2020 to a range of 500 to 600 million dollars by 2026. The most significant event in investing activities is a major acquisition in October 2025, totaling approximately 8.7 billion dollars. Aside from this outlier, investing activities primarily consist of routine capital maintenance and the active management of short-term investments.
Financing and Capital Allocation
A distinct shift in financing strategy is observable over the analysis period. From May 2020 through October 2022, the company engaged in aggressive common stock repurchases, often exceeding 3 billion dollars per quarter. Following this period, the volume of buybacks decreased substantially. In contrast, cash dividend payments have remained highly stable and grew incrementally from approximately 420 million dollars per quarter in 2020 to over 670 million dollars per quarter by 2026. To fund the large acquisition in October 2025, the company issued approximately 7 billion dollars in new debt, offsetting the cash outflow from the investment.
Overall Cash Position
The net change in cash and cash equivalents is highly erratic, reflecting the timing of large-scale financing events and strategic investments rather than operational instability. The company maintains the ability to fund operations and dividends through organic cash flow, utilizing the debt market primarily for strategic expansion and large-scale capital restructuring.

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