For the quarter ended January 2025, Lowe's (LOW Quick QuoteLOW - Free Report) reported revenue of $18.55 billion, down 0.3% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $1.93, compared to $1.77 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $18.35 billion, representing a surprise of +1.13%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +5.46%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $1.83.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how Lowe's performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Comparable store sales - YoY change: 0.2% compared to the -1.4% average estimate based on 11 analysts.
• Number of stores - Total: 1,748 versus 1,747 estimated by six analysts on average.
• Sales per store: $10.61 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $10.47 million.

View all Key Company Metrics for Lowe's here>>>

Shares of Lowe's have returned -8.3% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -2.3% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.