Lowe's management check
LOW · Consumer Discretionary · Home Improvement Retail · CEO Mr. Ellison
Filings as of
5 good · 2 to watch · 0 flagged, across the seven questions below.
- Good
Have owners done well?
Beat its chosen peers$100 invested at the start of fiscal 2022 grew to $176, against $164 for the peer group the company picked itself.
- Watch
Does pay follow performance?
Pay only loosely tracked returnsOver 5 years, the CEO's pay actually paid (equity valued at the share price) had a correlation of 0.09 with shareholder return. 1 means pay moved in step; below 0, the opposite way.
- Good
What does the CEO cost owners?
0.3% of net income$21.6m of reported pay in fiscal 2026, against $6.7bn of net income.
- Watch
Do they own the stock?
Insiders are selling3 insiders sold $5.8m in the last six months and none bought.
- Good
Are owners being diluted?
Share count shrinkingDiluted shares changed -2.1% a year over the last three fiscal years. Stock-based pay was 0.3% of revenue in the latest year.
- Good
Is leadership stable?
2 leadership filings in 3 yearsCEO in the pay table: Mr. Ellison. 2 filings under 8-K item 5.02 (officers or directors leaving or joining, or new pay arrangements) in the last 3 years.
- Good
Are the books clean?
No red flags on fileNo restatements, auditor changes or late filings since 2021.
Against the S&P 500
Each check's score (0–100) and how it compares: the share of ranked S&P 500 companies it matches or beats, and the median in Consumer Discretionary.
| Check | Score | At or above | Sector median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner returns | 59 | 70 | |
| Pay for performance | 54 | 79 | |
| CEO cost | 91 | 44 | |
| Skin in the game | — | — | 36 |
| Dilution | 76 | 74 | |
| Stable leadership | 100 | 80 | |
| Clean books | 100 | 100 |
Closest peers
Others in Home Improvement Retail, by management score. Lowe's is 7th of 47 in its sector.
Pay versus performance
From the proxy statement filed April 16, 2026. "Actually paid" values stock awards at the share price, so it rises and falls with the stock.
| Fiscal year | CEO | CEO pay | Actually paid | Other executives (avg) | $100 became | Peers | Net income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mr. Ellison | $21.6m | $24.8m | $7.0m | $176 | $164 | $6.7bn |
| 2025 | — | $20.2m | $26.2m | $5.9m | $168 | $161 | $7.0bn |
| 2024 | — | $18.2m | $6.2m | $7.1m | $139 | $123 | $7.7bn |
| 2023 | — | $17.5m | $13.7m | $5.0m | $134 | $90 | $6.4bn |
| 2022 | — | $17.9m | $61.3m | $6.0m | $143 | $106 | $8.4bn |
The board says pay is tied most to Operating income. Its other key measures: Sales, Operating Income (as adjusted), Inventory Turnover, Pro Sales Growth, 3-year average ROIC, 3-year relative TSR vs. S&P 500 companies.
Insiders and the CEO's stake
3 insiders sold $5.8m in the last six months and none bought.
- SoldJanice DupreEVP, Human Resources$3.1mJun 16, 2026
- SoldJuliette Williams PryorEVP, CLO & Corp. Sec.$2.1mJun 17, 2026
- SoldMargrethe R VagellEVP, Supply Chain$560kJun 18, 2026
Leadership and governance on file
- Sep 2, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Oct 25, 2023Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Aug 8, 2022Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jun 2, 2022Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Apr 8, 2022Leadership change8-K 5.02
Latest shareholder vote results: Jun 2, 2026, including the say-on-pay vote.
Where the money went
Over 2021–2025: $49.6bn returned to owners in buybacks and dividends, 137% of net income, and $1.1bn of pay in stock.
| Fiscal year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $96.3bn | $97.1bn | $86.4bn | $83.7bn | $86.3bn |
| Net income | $8.4bn | $6.4bn | $7.7bn | $7.0bn | $6.7bn |
| Stock-based pay | $230.0m | $223.0m | $210.0m | $221.0m | $247.0m |
| Buybacks | $13.0bn | $14.1bn | $6.1bn | $4.1bn | $211.0m |
| Dividends | $2.0bn | $2.4bn | $2.5bn | $2.6bn | $2.6bn |
| Diluted shares | 699m | 631m | 584m | 568m | 560m |
Educational only, not investment advice. Figures are as filed with the SEC: pay from the proxy's pay-versus-performance table, capital allocation from 10-K XBRL data, insider trades from Form 4s over the last six months, events from the last 5 years of filings. The peer group is the one the company chose. See the method.