LOW vs WM Comparison

Lowe's is the second-largest home improvement retailer globally, with more than 1,750 stores in the US, after the 2023 divestiture of its Canadian locations (RONA, Lowe's Canada, Réno-Dépôt, and Dick's Lumber). 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 (around 70% of sales) and do-it-for-me customers, but has expanded its professional business clients to 30% from less than 20% in the past six years (set ot expand further with the acquisition of FBM). 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.

WM, previously known as Waste Management, ranks as the largest integrated provider of traditional solid waste services in the United States, operating 262 active landfill sites and about 339 transfer stations that help with transporting waste efficiently and economically. The company serves residential, commercial, industrial, and medical end markets for waste collection, transfer, and disposal. The company also has an energy business emanating from the beneficial use of landfill gas and is a leading recycler in North America.