Investopedia: Home Depot Pulls Ahead Of Lowe's

Hopefully the management at Lowe's (NYSE:LOW) are racing fans, because it seems like NASCAR tracks are about the only place where Lowe's is really beating Home Depot (NYSE:HD) these days. While both companies are clearly pulling out of the depths of the one-two punch of the housing crash and recession, Home Depot seems to have pulled ahead in many operating metrics and this fiscal fourth quarter is a good opportunity to assess where these two rivals stand. 

Good Caps to the Year, But Better For HD
Both companies ended 2010 on solid notes, but Home Depot is likely to come away with the gold ring for this quarter. Home Depot saw revenue rise just under 4%, with comp growth of 3.9%. That comp growth, in turn, was comprised of average ticket growth of 2.6% (people buying more) and transaction volume growth of 1.4% (more people buying).

Without wanting to make too much out of it, it is notable that Home Depot saw comps fade throughout the quarter - a detail that would have been more concerning in the absence of pretty healthy guidance. It is also worth noting that "real" comp growth was more on the order of 2-2.5%, as the company benefited from a more aggressive position in appliances and a home improvement credit. (For more, see Analyzing Retail Stocks.)

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