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The Fair Value Report

Lowe’s Companies

This report is about Lowe’s Companies and covers the company’s fiscal year ended January 30, 2022. Listed earnings and metrics utilizing earnings, are for that specific 12 month time period unless otherwise noted. Unaudited or reviewed financial information is not apart of, nor included in, this report.

My Disclaimer
I am a long-term, buy and hold investor, practicing a value investing philosophy. I am not a licensed or registered investment professional. I currently have NO investment position in the company mentioned in this report. Financial statement data was obtained from the company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Risk
Past and future gains contained herein are based on actual and anticipated earnings, actual and anticipated dividends, and actual and anticipated price appreciation. Valuations, while given as a specific amount, are always within a valuation range. Investors should be aware that any investment has the potential for loss, and past performance is no guarantee of future results.

What They Do
Lowe’s Companies is a home improvement retailer. Industry peers include Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE: HD), and Lumber Liquidators, Inc. (NYSE: LL).

Short-Term Target
My current short-term target for the stock is $235 with an initial trailing stop set at $197. Based on a recent price of $199.57, upward price movement will find resistance at $205.76 and again at $214.23, with final resistance found at $224.90. Downward price movement will find support at $197.88 and again at $196.18, with final support found at $193.39.

One-Year Growth Price Target
My one year growth price target is actually a price target range, determined by adding year over year earning growth to the prior year annual dividend yield and dividing the result by the current annual price to earnings ratio.

For this stock, my current one year growth price target range is $195-$387.

Volatility Adjustment
There are different metrics available to help investors determine the volatility of a particular stock as compared to the volatility of the market as a whole. To me, the beta ratio is the metric that is the most representative of a stock’s volatility. A beta ratio of less than 1 means that the security’s price will be less volatile than the market, while a beta ratio greater than 1 indicates that the security’s price will be more volatile than the market.

Basis my current beta ratio for this stock of 1.32, my volatility adjustment to recent pricing is $48 per share, making my current volatility adjusted price $151.

Quality of Earnings
A company’s earnings can be impacted by a variety of sources unrelated to the company’s current day to day operations. Discontinued operations, tax refunds, depreciation, and impairment for example, may distort a company’s operating income and consequently its fair value. Investors should always explore the sources of a company’s operating income to better understand potential valuation impacts, both positive and negative.

Of the company’s $16.94 per share in fiscal 2022 pre-tax income, $0.00 per share came from some combination of other sources, income taxes, interest, minority interests, or discontinued operations.

Key Performance Indicator Rating
I use key performance indicators (KPIs) as a barometer to measure the effectiveness of management. Several of the metrics that I use are the tangible asset ratio, return on invested capital, free cash flow growth, earnings growth, debt growth, the dividend payout ratio, and the cash conversion cycle. Admittedly, my use of these and other metrics as a way to determine the effectiveness of management is subjective. Based on a 0-105 scale, my KPI for this company is 77.

Shareholder Return
I calculate shareholder return by subtracting the stock price at the close of business on the last day of a company’s fiscal year, from the stock price at the start of business on the first day of the company’s fiscal year, plus any dividends paid during that period, and then dividing the result by the opening stock price on the first day of a company’s fiscal year.

For fiscal 2022, the company spent $19.67 per share buying back company stock, paid an annual common stock dividend of $3.00 per share, and had year-over-year annual price appreciation of $70.50, which created a shareholder return of 44%.

Over the prior five year period, the company spent an average of $3.03 per share buying back company stock, paid an average annual common stock dividend of $2.54 per share, and had average annual price appreciation of $19.04, which created an average shareholder return of 23%.

As noted, annual shareholder return is simply a combination of price appreciation dividends recieved paid over a one-year period. Basis the recent stock price and the average annual shareholder return, it would require an investment hold of approximately 45.7 years to break even owning this stock.

Cost of Common Equity
The cost of common equity is the minimum annual rate of return an investor should expect to earn when investing in shares of a particular company. I calculate this by adding the thirty-year treasury yield to the beta ratio for the stock multiplied by my default equity risk premium.

My cost of common equity for this stock is 6.92%.

Weighted Average Cost of Capital
There is little in this world that does not come with some form of cost. Capital, which I define as cash used by a company for productive purposes and includes equity, debt, preferred stock, and dividends, is no exception. The weighted average cost of capital then, in simple terms, is the average cost the company pays for the necessary capital to operate its business and is proportionate to equity, debt, preferred stock, and dividends.

My weighted average cost of capital for this company is 3.36%.

The Year-Over-Year Numbers
There are many year-over-year numbers for investors to focus on. But to me, there are only a handful that have any significant meaning, and so those are the numbers that I highlight in this space. Please remember these are year-over-year numbers.

For fiscal 2022, revenue increased 7%, earnings increased 32%, free cash flow increased 34%, and debt increased 12%. Additionally, the company’s annual operating rate, which I calculate by adding operating expenses to the cost of goods sold and dividing the result by net sales, was 87.

Current Price Ratios
Investing requires effort. Value investing requires patience. Stock prices require consideration. As a way to screen a company to determine if it is worth my effort, patience and consideration, I use several price comparison ratios.

With a recent price of $199.57, the current Price to Earnings Ratio is 13, the Price to Book Ratio is -27, the Price to Tangible Book Value is -27, the Price to Debt Ratio is 4, and the Price to Free Cash Flow Ratio is 15. The company’s Return on Invested Capital is 35%.

Risk/Reward Ratio
I determine my risk reward ratio by subtracting my current terminate target from a recent price and then dividing that result by my initiate target less a price fluctuation variable of 20%. What I am looking for with this ratio is a value of 5 or greater. My risk/reward ratio for this stock is 7.

Prior Five Year Averages
My average valuation for the prior five year fiscal period was $141. The stock price during that time period averaged $112, earnings averaged $7.10 per share, and the average PE Ratio was 16.

Performance Value
It is important that investors consider the overall performance of a company basis its current management style, its position in the market it serves, as well as the general economic conditions. I apply those considerations to several factors including earnings, the P/E ratio, and the cost of risk free money to determine a value that I call the performance value. For this stock, my most recent per share performance value is $206.

Fair Value Investing
It is important to remember that the current market price of an equity is the price negotiated between a willing buyer and a willing seller. This market price is not the fair value of the associated company, but the negotiated price of a single equity trade.

The basic investing tenet for a fair value investor remains price determines return. As such it is important to have some understanding of the value of the company as an on-going concern, and to develop a strategy that, with current value in mind, will allow investment in that company at some reasonable discount to current pricing.

My most recent fair value estimate for the stock of this company as an on-going concern is $306. This estimated fair value forms the basis for my target prices as shown on my worksheet.

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) – FYE 01/2022 – UNDER VALUED – The stock is currently trading at levels below my most recent $214 initiate target. Please See Linked PDF Worksheet.

Thanx for reading.

Wax