Depot vs. Lowes

Depot vs. Lowes Home Depot vs. LowesThe home improvement industry is a booming enterprise, which is mainly controlled by two major retailers. Each retailer has its strong points as well as its weaknesses. Home Depot is a company that holds a great history; it was the forefront of the home improvement warehouse store. Lowe's quickly followed in the wake of Home Depot's successes. They decided to improve the industry by offering a cleaner environment, and an easier shopping experience. Which one is the stronger company in today's financial marketplace? Who really dominates the home improvement industry? In this thesis, we will attempt to discover the answers to these questions with an expansive study of both companies financial status.Home Depot - A Brief HistoryBernie Marcus and Arthur Blank established the Home Depot in 1978. They had both been fired from other small home improvement retailers, and decided to create their own home improvement retail store.NOPD/Home Depot TowerAfter a slow start, the company picked up momentum and proved to be successful over time. In 1981 The Home Depot went public using the ticker symbol HD. Home Depot stock is now traded on the New York Stock Exchange with index memberships on the DOW and SP 500.Today, Home Depot stock is selling at $35.37 per share (6-18-2004). In the previous 52-week period, the low for HD was $30.10 and the high was $37.89. The Home Depot stock has fallen by about 12% over the past three years, but the company is constantly making changes in upgrades and service in order to increase their market share and profitability.Home Depot currently has 2.3 billion shares of outstanding common stock. The company did acquire 69 shares of treasury stock in 2002, and 116 shares in 2003. Home Depot also offers additional information such as the...