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Financial Research Report: Lowe's Companies, Inc

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Financial Research Report: Lowe's Companies, Inc
Financial Research Report: Lowe’s Companies, Inc
Strayer University

Abstract
Review of Financial Research Report: This assignment is an analysis of a US publicly-traded company; its common stock could be a prospective investment. The report is due in Week 10, in needs to be at least 5 pages, and it needs to cover the following topics:
Company Overview: Conduct research and describe the company, its operations, locations, markets, and lines of business. Collect financial statements for the past three years, fiscal or calendar.
Ratio analysis: Perform trend and ratio analysis on current and fixed assets, current and long term liabilities, owner’s equity, sales revenues, EBIT, net income, and earnings per share. Project these trends for three years.
Stock price analysis: Research the company’s common stock price for the past five years. Research the Standard & Poor’s Stock Market Index (S&P 500) for the past five years. Chart the price movement in the company’s common stock against the S&P price movement. State and support your opinion on the company’s common stock as an investment opportunity.
References: Use at least five references and follow APA format when preparing the report.

Lowe's Companies, Inc., is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the United States (trailing Home Depot Inc.), holding about six percent of the $140 billion home improvement market. No longer a low-profile company, Lowe's evolved from a regional hardware store operator into a nationwide chain of home improvement superstores bent on international expansion. “The #2 US home improvement chain (after The Home Depot), Lowe's has about 1,700 superstores in 50 states and more than 15 locations in Canada and Mexico, as well as an e-commerce site” (Lowe’s Companies, Inc, 2011, para 1). Lowe’s is also the seventh largest retailer in the U.S. With fiscal year 2009 sales of $47.2 billion, Lowe's Companies serves approximately 15 million customers a week



References: Below are some figures from Lowe’s Balance Sheets and Income Statements from 2009, 2010, and 2011. These figures were obtained from the Hoover’s Company Profile. in millions of $, except EPS | Jan-11 | Jan-10 | Jan-09 | Financial ratios (2010). Retrieved March 13, 2011, from http://www.netmba.com/finance/financial/ratios/ Investor relations (2010) _Lowe.27s_Faces_Tough_Road_Ahead_For_Sales_Growth Lowe 's reports fourth quarter sales and earnings results (2011) S&P 500 (2011). Retrieved March 13, 2011, from http://www.answers.com/topic/s-p-500#ixzz1GXGFyJxm

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