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Compare Stocks › LOW vs PEP

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) vs PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP)

LOW
Lowe's Companies, Inc.
$233.33
VS
PEP
PepsiCo, Inc.
$157.41

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 80/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with margin stability as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • ★Dividend yield of 2.06% with a consistent or growing payout over the past 4 years.
PEP
  • ★PepsiCo, Inc. has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
  • ★PepsiCo, Inc. scores 88/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • ★Free cash flow has grown at a 11.0% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.

Risks

LOW
  • ⚠Each dollar of retained earnings has produced only $0.18 of earning power — shareholders may have been better served by dividends.
  • ⚠FCF yield of 5.9% suggests reasonable valuation assuming continued moderate growth.
  • ⚠PEG ratio of 2.48 indicates the stock is expensive relative to its expected growth — the market may be pricing in more growth than analysts project.
PEP
  • ⚠High leverage (2.45x debt/equity) combined with thin interest coverage (-1.0x) poses financial risk.
  • ⚠Insiders have sold $4.7M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant insider liquidation.

Key Valuation Metrics

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LOW
PEP
Valuation
$7.65B
Free Cash Flow
$8.75B
5.85%
FCF Yield
4.06%
19.69
Trailing P/E
24.67
17.10
Forward P/E
17.20
Quality & Moat
13.05%
ROIC
17.22%
N/A
ROE
38.26%
33.48%
Gross Margin
54.38%
2.48
PEG Ratio
0.89
Balance Sheet Safety
N/A
Debt / Equity
2.45
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
3.52
Net Debt / EBITDA
2.24
2.06%
Dividend Yield
3.61%
LOW: 2Ties: 2PEP: 6
LOWPEP

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.

PEP

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
$-0.21
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Market Cap Declined
Σ Retained
$13.60B
Δ Market Cap
$-2.87B
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
PEP
$-9.83
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Market Cap Declined
Σ Retained
$5.34B
Δ Market Cap
$-52.53B
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
26.4% Overvalued
Price is 26.4% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $233.33
Fair Value: $184.65
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
PEP
87.0% Overvalued
Price is 87.0% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $157.41
Fair Value: $84.19
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 $233?

+11.4%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +9.5%

The market implies +11.4% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +9.5%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

PEP

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $157?

+13.8%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +12.9%

The market implies +13.8% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +12.9%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

Economic Moat Score

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LOW
80/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. Margin Stability 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 4 years of fundamental data.
PEP
88/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. Revenue Predictability 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 4 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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LOW
8.81
Likely 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.
PEP
-2.57
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 80.8%Retail & Other 19.1%
No. of Institutional Holders3,333
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.
PEP
Insiders 0.2%Institutions 79.5%Retail & Other 20.3%
No. of Institutional Holders4,363
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
PEP
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
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
1
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
PEP
1
Sells (3M)
1
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $4.68M
LAGUARTA RAMON L
Chief Executive Officer
$4.68M
@ $167.39 · 2026-03-02
GALLAGHER MARIE T
Officer
$3.99M
@ $159.55 · 2025-03-04
FLAVELL DAVID JAMES
General Counsel
$1.04M
@ $150.90 · 2025-03-03
LAGUARTA RAMON L
Chief Executive Officer
$7.74M
@ $154.90 · 2025-03-03
KRISHNAN RAMKUMAR
Chief Executive Officer
$1.50M
@ $150.97 · 2025-03-03
WILLIAMS STEVEN C
Officer
$2.71M
@ $150.89 · 2025-03-03
SANTILLI PAULA ALEJANDRA
Officer
$1.18M
@ $151.89 · 2025-02-27
FLAVELL DAVID JAMES
General Counsel
$1.19M
@ $179.86 · 2024-05-10
KRISHNAN RAMKUMAR
Officer
$1.00M
@ $178.00 · 2024-05-09
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
😐Neutral(42/100)

"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.
PEP
FearGreed
😏Greed(61/100)

"Market is optimistic — be cautious and ensure you have a margin of safety"

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: Neutral (42)
PEP
⚪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: Greed (61)
View LOW Full AnalysisView PEP Full Analysis
LOW vs PEP: Which Is the Better Buy? | SafetyMargin.io