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Compare Stocks › LOW vs SBUX

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) vs Starbucks Corporation (SBUX)

LOW
Lowe's Companies, Inc.
$229.71
VS
SBUX
Starbucks Corporation
$95.83

Rewards

LOW
  • ★Lowe's Companies, Inc. has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
  • ★Lowe's Companies, Inc. scores 84/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • ★Share count has been reduced by 16% over the past 5 years through buybacks, increasing each share's claim on earnings.
SBUX
  • ★Starbucks Corporation has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
  • ★Starbucks Corporation scores 71/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • ★Dividend yield of 2.59% with a consistent or growing payout over the past 4 years.

Risks

LOW
  • ⚠Each dollar of retained earnings has produced only $0.11 of market value — shareholders may have been better served by dividends.
  • ⚠Insiders have sold $7.4M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant insider liquidation.
SBUX
  • ⚠Gross margin of 22.2% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
  • ⚠Trailing P/E of 79.9x is 127% above the historical average of 35.2x — the stock trades at a premium to its own history.
  • ⚠Net debt/EBITDA of 4.1x indicates heavy leverage — it would take over 4 years of EBITDA to pay off net debt.

Key Valuation Metrics

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LOW
SBUX
Valuation
$5.40B
Free Cash Flow
$-1.44B
4.19%
FCF Yield
-1.32%
19.38
Trailing P/E
79.86
16.79
Forward P/E
32.45
Quality & Moat
12.66%
ROIC
10.82%
N/A
ROE
N/A
33.48%
Gross Margin
22.17%
N/A
PEG Ratio
N/A
Balance Sheet Safety
N/A
Debt / Equity
N/A
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
3.51
Net Debt / EBITDA
4.13
2.09%
Dividend Yield
2.59%
LOW: 7Ties: 1SBUX: 1
LOWSBUX

Historical Fundamentals

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LOW

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

SBUX

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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LOW
$0.11
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Value Destroyer
Σ Retained
$13.65B
Δ Market Cap
+$1.56B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
SBUX
$-9.28
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Market Cap Declined
Σ Retained
$1.95B
Δ Market Cap
$-18.13B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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LOW
67.1% Overvalued
Price is 67.1% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $229.71
Fair Value: $137.43
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
SBUX
1.6% Overvalued
Price is 1.6% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $95.83
Fair Value: $94.35
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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LOW

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $230?

+14.1%
Market-Implied FCF Growth Rate

Market pricing in significantly higher growth than history — aggressive.

SBUX

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

Economic Moat Score

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LOW
84/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. ROIC Consistency is the standout factor.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 5 years of fundamental data.
SBUX
71/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat driven primarily by roic consistency. Margin Stability is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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LOW
-2.80
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
SBUX
-2.77
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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LOW
Insiders 0.1%Institutions 80.7%Retail & Other 19.2%
No. of Institutional Holders3,354
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
SBUX
Insiders 0.1%Institutions 84.8%Retail & Other 15.1%
No. of Institutional Holders2,899
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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LOW
0
Buys (3M)
1
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $231,063
SIMKINS LAWRENCE
Director
$231,063
@ $231.06 · 2025-11-24
SIMKINS LAWRENCE
Director
$245,532
@ $245.53 · 2024-12-20
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
SBUX
0
Buys (3M)
1
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $994,500
KNUDSTORP JORGEN VIG
Director
$994,500
@ $85.00 · 2025-11-10
KNUDSTORP JORGEN VIG
Director
$34,770
@ $91.50 · 2024-09-06
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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LOW
2
Sells (3M)
8
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $32.92M
VANCE QUONTA D
Officer
$2.67M
@ $257.54 · 2026-03-04
ELLISON MARVIN R
Chief Executive Officer
$4.70M
@ $261.17 · 2026-01-09
MCFARLAND JOSEPH MICHAEL III
Officer
$11.94M
@ $272.60 · 2025-09-11
SINK BRANDON J.
Chief Financial Officer
$2.20M
@ $268.58 · 2025-09-05
PRYOR JULIETTE WILLIAMS
Officer
$238,939
@ $257.20 · 2025-08-26
ELLISON MARVIN R
Chief Executive Officer
$10.56M
@ $264.10 · 2025-08-20
DUPRE JANICE M.
Officer
$350,039
@ $224.38 · 2025-06-10
PRYOR JULIETTE WILLIAMS
Officer
$257,077
@ $227.50 · 2025-06-03
VANCE QUONTA D
Officer
$1.97M
@ $274.37 · 2024-11-27
MCFARLAND JOSEPH MICHAEL III
Officer
$1.08M
@ $270.74 · 2024-10-03
GODBOLE SEEMANTINI P
Chief Technology Officer
$7.12M
@ $271.73 · 2024-10-03
VAGELL MARGRETHE R
Officer
$1.56M
@ $271.45 · 2024-10-02
GRIGGS DAN CLAYTON JR.
Officer
$1.68M
@ $248.82 · 2024-09-12
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
SBUX
3
Sells (3M)
3
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $460,974
BREWER BRADY
Officer
$58,800
@ $100.00 · 2026-03-09
KELLY SARA
Officer
$242,800
@ $97.12 · 2026-03-05
BREWER BRADY
Officer
$159,374
@ $97.12 · 2026-03-05
KELLY SARA
Officer
$1.94M
@ $101.37 · 2024-11-29
RUGGERI RACHEL
Chief Financial Officer
$148,414
@ $99.54 · 2024-11-21
RUGGERI RACHEL
Chief Financial Officer
$143,850
@ $99.07 · 2024-11-15
CONWAY MICHAEL AARON
Officer
$305,598
@ $94.03 · 2024-08-15
RUGGERI RACHEL
Chief Executive Officer
$299,916
@ $91.16 · 2024-08-13
CONWAY MICHAEL AARON
Officer
$260,000
@ $80.00 · 2024-06-14
RUGGERI RACHEL
Chief Financial Officer
$300,000
@ $80.00 · 2024-05-22
KELLY SARA
Officer
$19,375
@ $77.50 · 2024-05-21
KELLY SARA
Officer
$22,000
@ $88.00 · 2024-04-22
CONWAY MICHAEL AARON
Officer
$277,518
@ $85.39 · 2024-04-15
KELLY SARA
Officer
$23,158
@ $92.63 · 2024-03-21
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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LOW
FearGreed
😨Fear(38/100)

"Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
SBUX
FearGreed
😐Neutral(55/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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LOW
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Fear (38)
SBUX
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (55)
View LOW Full AnalysisView SBUX Full Analysis
Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) vs Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) Stock Comparison | SafetyMargin.io