In the latest market close, Lowe's (LOW) reached $248.48, with a +0.61% movement compared to the previous day. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 1.26%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.8%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 1.77%.

The home improvement retailer's shares have seen a decrease of 8.55% over the last month, not keeping up with the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 1.93% and the S&P 500's loss of 2.82%.

The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Lowe's in its upcoming release. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $1.81, reflecting a 2.26% increase from the same quarter last year. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $18.22 billion, reflecting a 2.07% fall from the equivalent quarter last year.

For the annual period, the Zacks Consensus Estimates anticipate earnings of $11.88 per share and a revenue of $83.32 billion, signifying shifts of -10% and -3.54%, respectively, from the last year.

Furthermore, it would be beneficial for investors to monitor any recent shifts in analyst projections for Lowe's. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the company's business performance and profit potential.

Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.09% lower. As of now, Lowe's holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Looking at valuation, Lowe's is presently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 20.8. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 20.13 for its industry.

Investors should also note that LOW has a PEG ratio of 2.07 right now. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Retail - Home Furnishings industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.04 as trading concluded yesterday.

The Retail - Home Furnishings industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 151, this industry ranks in the bottom 40% of all industries, numbering over 250.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) : Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research