LOW vs RCL Comparison

Lowe's is the second-largest home improvement retailer globally, with 1,761 stores in the US, after the 2023 divestiture of its Canadian locations. The firm's stores offer products and services for home decorating, maintenance, repair, and remodeling, with maintenance and repair accounting for two-thirds of products sold. Lowe's primarily targets retail do-it-yourself (more than 60% of sales) and do-it-for-me customers, but has expanded its professional business clients to more than 30% from less than 20% in the past seven years (set to expand further with growth of FBM locations). We estimate Lowe's captures a high-single-digit share of the domestic home improvement market, based on US Census data and management's market size estimates.

Royal Caribbean is the world's second-largest cruise company by revenues, operating 71 ships across five global and partner brands in the cruise vacation industry. Brands the company operates include Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea. The company also has a 50% investment in a joint venture that operates TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. The selection of brands in the portfolio allows Royal to compete on the basis of innovation, quality of ships and service, variety of itineraries, choice of destinations, and price. The company completed the divestiture of its Azamara brand in 2021, plans to launch its new Celebrity River Cruise brand in 2027, and is set to operate eight private destination locations by 2028.