Home Depot vs. Lowe’s: 25 Years of Market Cap Showdown (2000–2025)
The line chart compares the market capitalization trajectories of Home Depot (orange) and Lowe’s (blue) over a 25-year span. The x-axis tracks annual snapshots from 2000 ($106.06B for Home Depot; $17.04B for Lowe’s) through 2025 ($371.76B; $126.88B). Both retailers saw steady growth, with Home Depot maintaining a higher absolute valuation and Lowe’s posting a steeper climb relative to its starting base.
Key Takeaways
- Home Depot’s market cap grew 3.51× from 2000 to 2025, posting a 5.14% CAGR.
- Lowe’s surged 7.45× over the same period, achieving an 8.35% CAGR.
- Both companies peaked around 2021—Home Depot at $433B and Lowe’s at $174B—before modest pullbacks.
- Lowe’s outpaced Home Depot in percentage growth, but Home Depot ended with a markedly larger valuation.
Analysis
Lowe’s higher CAGR reflects a remarkable expansion from a smaller base, suggesting aggressive store rollouts, category diversification, or better margin improvements. Home Depot’s steadier, larger-scale growth underscores its entrenched market leadership and resilience in mature markets. The synchronized 2021 peaks likely tie to pandemic-driven home improvement booms, while subsequent pullbacks hint at cooling consumer spending and rising interest rates. Investors weighing DIY retail should balance Home Depot’s scale and stability against Lowe’s higher growth momentum.