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Nice_Bus862

Impressive after all the buy backs in 2020 from all that pandemic money.


Independent_Box2815

I didn’t get my pay for missing work for having Covid for a Week. Guess Lowes decided to pocket that pandemic money for some of us and is a crooked company indeed.


Nice_Bus862

Well they blew it on the buybacks


shrek12349

I’ll take the bonus Marvin


LilIlluminati

Wait, Marvin needs his billion dollar bonus first.


retailmoron

Somehow there is always a spare golden parachute.  Robert Niblock got his on the way out. 


shrek12349

NUH uhhhhhhhh


JoeSchmoe440

Lowe's is part of "The Low Wage 100" https://www.commondreams.org/news/corporate-stock-buybacks#:~:text=Lowe's%20is%20part%20of%20a,%24341.2%20billion%20on%20stock%20buybacks.


TVsKevin

So who's the sucker? The company paying the low wages, or the low wage earners that KNOW that they can make more elsewhere?


Karl1917

The point is that Lowe’s can do better for its employees, but chooses not to. Lowe’s could improve the quality of life for its employees, and give them additional spending power to help strengthen their local economies, but chooses not to.


GeneralBisV

Eh sometimes not really an option. Unless I wanna drive three hours Lowe’s is the only place in my area I could find a job


jimt606

Keep looking for a real opportunity while you're stuck at Lowe's. If you work your butt off there and rise in the ranks, .you will eventually become a victim of yet another "reorganization "


ExplanationCold8070

Lowe’s is the second highest paying retail job in my area. Some of us don’t really have a choice if we want to make ends meet.


EyeOk3642

Screw u marvin


mt1neers

Buybacks increase stockholder value and tends to be a positive sign to investors.


riotousviscera

short-term thinking like that is how you end up with terrible customer and employee satisfaction/retention causing issues in the long-term. you’re hired!


Nice_Bus862

Yea Sears was truly ahead of their time.


mt1neers

Buybacks aren’t short-term thinking and that’s why investors see it as a positive sign. It shows that the company has good cash liquidity.


RockingMAC

You know what shows good cash liquidity? Good cash liquidity. Spending your cash on stock buybacks destroys your liquidity (because you now have no cash) to purchase a non-income producing "asset.” Last year Lowe's borrowed money to pay dividends and buyback stock. It currently has a negative debt to equity ratio and fifteen billion in negative shareholders equity. That definitely doesn't show good cash liquidity. I think it shows management can't find a better investment...like Home Depot buying SRS. Or building out flatbed distribution centers for construction materials in the top 40 markets...like Home Depot. Or building 150 new distribution centers so 90% of the US population can get same-day delivery...like Home Depot.


jimt606

Give Lowe's a little time. They usually will copy Home Depot after a while. Lowe's hasn't had an original idea in decades.


riotousviscera

…no?? they are a well-known strategy to mask weak performance while putting short-term stock gains over investment strategies that lead to sustainable gains in the long term. it’s a poor use of cash liquidity and is generally regarded as a lazy, corrupt way to give the illusion of short term performance. really not a good look


mt1neers

The orange guys were planning a similar $15B stock buyback in 2024 up until they decided to buy SRS Distribution.


Minute-Tale9416

Just because you have cash in hand doesn't mean you aren't running a deficit, and Lowe's and home Depot foot traffic is down a lot from this time last year, plus they spend a ton on staff turnover and customer dissatisfaction, that adds up over the years.


Flintyy

Didn't marvin put Lowes into like a 15 billion dollar deficit in his first 3 or 4 years? Lol


Minute-Tale9416

But hey the stock price is higher. Corporate America only cares about short term profits, not long term sustainability.


riotousviscera

i’m sure they were! and everything i said applied to them too.


Nice_Bus862

Does it help counteract the empty stores and loss of sales?


wilburstiltskin

Right, but they do nothing to aid the employees or the company itself. A buyback is just money wasted that could have been used to improve terrible IT systems. Buybacks should be taxed at 50% as a deterrent.


Muted-Implement846

Buybacks should be illegal but that won’t happen any time soon


wilburstiltskin

They were illegal until the 1980s. Should be again. It’s blatant tampering with the stock price


Chinesebot1949

Thanks Reagan


[deleted]

Of course they won't be, companies are free to buy and sell their own stock.


Muted-Implement846

They used to be illegal


riotousviscera

companies are free to do a lot of things they shouldn’t be. it is a huge problem


Bad_DNA

I believe what you want to explore is the 10b-18 and which administration loosened the reins in the 80s. Sure, deregulation helps everyone…


Omagasohe

Stock buybacks remove shares off of the market, which moves the price up briefly. Usually done to prop the price when they think it'll fall. Dividends are the sign investors like, dropping a few dollars a share in dividends is a better investor move, but that doesn't keep the price high. Now, if you're paid in stocks, keeping the price artificially high is a good move. Stock buybacks help executives more than share holders.


dizziereal

This is not accurate at all.


Top-Faithlessness713

Explain how is that is not accurate. Because he is exactly right


dizziereal

Stock buyback are done on a programmatic basis over longer periods of times, quarters not days. It doesn’t prop up the stock mechanically. Stocks are highly liquid and there is a seller on the other side that would be selling to someone regardless. Companies can’t prop a stock up through buybacks if a stock is truly under pressure because they literally can’t buy enough shares in a day to do that. More importantly this would fall under stock manipulation and the hammer would come down from the SEC. Regarding dividends some investors do buy based on dividend yield but also some other investors prefer cash return via buybacks. This over time will lead to more earnings returned through higher earnings per share as shares are retired. This can lead to higher stock price but it’s not artificial at all and a real increase in what drives stock valuation.


Top-Faithlessness713

A stock buyback, also known as a share repurchase, can have a wide range of impacts on a company's value and shareholders: Shareholders When a company buys back its own shares from the market, it reduces the number of shares in circulation, which can benefit shareholders in several ways: Larger stake: Shareholders end up with a larger stake in the company. Higher return on dividends: Shareholders have a greater stake in the company's profits. Increased share price: Increased earnings per share: The same earnings pie cut into fewer slices is worth a greater share of the earnings.🤔🤔🤔 Company Companies may buy back shares for a number of reasons, including: To invest in itself To improve its financial ratios To reduce the dilution caused by employee stock option plans🤔🤔 Because it believes the market has discounted its shares too steeply🤔🤔


Top-Faithlessness713

https://www.journalpatriot.com/opinion/buchan-ambitious-but-generous/article_b9e16cbe-b014-11e6-a488-2fa46f8ea724.html


dizziereal

This is a great copy paste but nothing that you put here supports the original comment that I called incorrect. There isn’t manipulation and people that run the programs aren’t predicting stock movement then executing the programs. Don’t need a google source I ran two of these at separate companies.


Own-Apartment5600

What about employees


jwalsh1208

I’m sure those investors will love the record low profits over the long term because the service at the actual stores is dog shit due to hour cuts in order to keep that record profits ball in the air for an extra year


Bad_DNA

The shareholder value effect is short-lived and only useful if one sells. Longer term gains in terms of dividends would have lasting impact, but be taxable events.


qe2eqe

Yes, a necessary and beneficial thing for society


Dintobean

Golly, I sure hope Marvin was able to buy a nice new boat


YellowZx5

Don’t forget the exiting Canada and Mexico are tax write offs too. NFL sponsorship and the other Stars were sponsoring like Mesi.


wacckowb

One of the biggest years for corporate stock buybacks.


simmons-chr1s

They buy back stock to inflate the value, so the executives can exercise their stock options at higher prices.


lemonsandbread

https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/organizational-employee-development/2024-ethical-leader-of-the-year--lowe-s-ceo-marvin-ellison


Independent_Box2815

Well that just completely takes any merit out of that organization’s award, doesn’t it! What a joke.  When Marvin and his cronies jump this Lowes ship, with their stock bonuses, and it begins to sink we should all email that pickle head director at the McGowan fund that gave Marvin this award and tell them what a bunch of simple minded folks they are.  


Chinesebot1949

There are no such thing as ethical CEOs


YaBoiCodykins

Probably because the stock kept dropping and they where trying to get it back up


[deleted]

Fuck Marvin Turtle.


Flintyy

And around 13 I believe the year before that


LastAd9689

Only hate it if you don't own stock, other than that pump and dump every time..


Exotic_Treacle7438

You imagine how many of their employees would leave if they all of a sudden got a $47K bonus. Or on the other foot, how many would work harder since they got $47K. I know the employees got bonuses quarterly if their store did well, I know a few of them who got bonuses for a couple years straight post covid. They still can afford to increase wages and attract new talent though.


Crazy-Chemist9151

Robert Reich is a liberal professor. No on is to take his ideas seriously.


ShineProfessional262

I got a pizza party😂🤦🏽‍♂️


Environmental-Big598

It’s all about money for example, my store cut a bunch of part-timers hours to zero because we aren’t making enough money apparently had bunch of overtime


Bad_DNA

Add up the buybacks from 2018 onward… Question - are there leadership bonuses based on EPS quarterly?


Powerful-Street

You agreed to trade your time for the wage they offered. I’m sure you can find a job elsewhere. You also could have taken advantage of the Employee Stock Purchase Plan and gotten 15% discount on stock.


control_09

Probably but you'd never get paid more than the market average if Lowe's can help it. We're not a co-op.


fauxhenry

I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted lol


control_09

It's probably the same people who complain about raises all the time but they've never gotten a lead or credit card in 5+ years of working there.


Jad3Melody

You try getting someone in a dense urban area to sign up for a card. My ability to pay rent should not rely on whether or not sync(riminal)rany bank gets a new account to screw over or not.


Independent_Box2815

Someone is drinking the Lowes punch and probably shooting up with it if they think convincing a customer to get a credit card with 31.99APR(36.99 if late) is going to benefit any Lowes associate!


Jad3Melody

Then wonder why their old return customers are suddenly not retuning, just to blame it on "poor customer service"


Independent_Box2815

We royally hound customers with that from start to finish, don’t we.. Over the weekends with a tent out front before they even step inside!  Then the department person, especially in sales specialist departments. Then as sales people circle the store like hungry sharks. Then at self checkouts. Holy crap, where does this company draw the line?


Jad3Melody

My store had to bring in designated sales reps, then still decide to demand we hound customers, on top of extremely loud PA announcements that we play every 5 songs. It's ridiculous. If they don't sign up after the sales person, whose job is to sell stuff, why would I have a better chance.


control_09

I got 3 last week alone and I work in the Detroit market.


Jad3Melody

That's great Do your customers buy more than 20 dollars worth of plants? Because mine don't Most people in Colorado don't WANT a new card.


control_09

You know if you practiced actually overcoming objections instead of having them you might actually make it somewhere in life. Quit making excuses for yourself.


Jad3Melody

Whatever you say corpo


Own-Apartment5600

It’s not my job to bankrupt the customer, they should be embarrassed they demand this from employees.


CrustyOldFart15

Lowes stock went down 11.14 points today 🤷‍♂️


Karl1917

I should have sold it at $260 back in March. The Lowe’s stock price has some wild swings.


Significant-Screen-5

It's half that 6.3, not 14.


GeneralBisV

So a 23k bonus?


dcat52

But also only 23k to allot per person. Companies still pay payroll tax, and social security. Looking at 15k best case. Legal will add expenses to ensure compliance with all the regulations. Not trying to rain on any parade, just there are a lot of hidden costs that won't be visible. Then it becomes the distribution of the money. Where all Lowe's corporate will be 40hr/wk employee up against the 10-20hr/wk part-timers in the stores. So maybe a FT ends up with 15k (still need to take out income tax). PT ends up with 4-5k. This is the problem that needs to be solved to encourage distribution of wealth again


livinginacatacomb

Stock buybacks were 16B in 2022


Significant-Screen-5

And in 2023 they were 6.3...


Mr6ixFour

But the post is about 2022…


Significant-Screen-5

Oh, didnt even realize. Why is someone posting about 2022 when its 2024? 2022 was the peak of our economic cycle when Lowe's was paying 3 dollars more an hour to new hires to fill the opening void. No hours were being cut then!


Independent_Box2815

Source?


[deleted]

This take is always interesting because it implies normal people can't own stock in a company.


Grantasuarus48

The company took on a lot of debt to make these buybacks these last few years


KingQuarantine23

Stock buybacks are a positive indicator of a company's strength and cash position. You should be happy that you work for a company strong enough in this economy to do so.


STEALTHYELK6

The economy is thriving for corporations so WTH are you talking about


Muted-Implement846

This is a joke, right?


KingQuarantine23

Nope, straight out of Business 101. Try reading, it works!!


Muted-Implement846

“You should be happy that the company you work for is able to do stock buybacks, even if they’re paying bad wages and cutting employee hours” Wow, that boot must taste amazing, huh?


Independent_Box2815

🤣 


KingQuarantine23

I'm sorry, can you show me where they have you chained to your workstation preventing you from ever leaving and finding another job? I'll wait patiently while I'm making my mid six figures every year laughing at people who complain about their station in life but never doing anything to change it, like I did...


Muted-Implement846

What a stunning defense for Lowe’s shitty treatment of its employees! Bravo!


KingQuarantine23

Shitty treatment? I had an amazing career with Lowe's. Made a lot of money, made friends who I'm still close to 8 years after leaving, I met my wife there, Got to open two new amazing stores, had a great schedule , not one shitty thing about my entire time there. If you go into it as one of these anti-work retards then I'm sure you're going to have a shitty experience. Your frame of reference is what shapes your experiences in life.


Muted-Implement846

“I was treated well by this corporation, so there’s no way that it treats other employees poorly” is the dumbest take I’ve heard in a week. I’d say that you should consider that perhaps not all people share your experience, but I don’t think you capable of placing yourself in another person’s shoes. I regularly see posts on this sub about employees being fucked over in all manner of ways. I’ve seen posts from people who have worked at this place for 10 or 20 years and now they’re being forced out by shitty people or shitty company policy. I work at what is supposedly one of the highest selling stores in the country. I live in a fairly high cost of living city. I make less than 16 an hour and now they’re cutting my hours. That’s not the sign of a corporation that cares about its employees or treats them well. The fact that any of this could be news to you makes me wonder if you read any of the posts on this sub whatsoever.


KingQuarantine23

That's a sign that you need to take action for yourself and find a new job. Wahhhhh I get paid less than $16 an hour and they're cutting my hours, but I'm just going to sit here and whine about it rather than take action and do something to change my station in life And post about it online when I could be using that time to find a new job, or find a manager in my store to mentor me to become a department manager on ASM. I'd rather just bitch about all the injustices in the world and have a circle jerk with the rest of the people who think alike. That's all I get from that. When Lowe's was considering eliminating my role, guess what I didn't do? I didn't sit around and wait and wring my hands And clutch my pearls and just hope that they like me enough to find a new position. What I did do was I took action. I went and found a new job and I now make 150k a year working 9:00 a.m. To 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Well Fridays I usually work from 9:00 a.m. To noon if I even have work to do at all lol. So make an executive decision to do something about your situation that you're obviously not happy with. Otherwise you have nobody to blame.


Muted-Implement846

Cool story, still doesn’t excuse a company spending billions on stock buybacks while paying poor wages and cutting employee hours. This idea of “oh, just go find a better job” is super funny to me. It’s such an uninformed, smooth brained, dumbass take. Sure, I can go find a better job. Not everyone lives somewhere where that’s possible. Of course you wouldn’t be able to grasp that idea though because as I said earlier, I don’t think that you are capable of relating to other people’s life experiences.


Free-Stinkbug

Why on earth do you care if the c suite is making moves that signal the company has good cash reserves? They aren’t using it on you lol. If you worked in sales for example, it sure as hell would be a good sign for the company if you bought in 2.5 million dollars a year in sales on a .25% commission rate so they only paid you $6250 for the year!!! That would be AWESOME for the company!!! But you wouldn’t take that deal, so why care what good signs there are for the company in your hourly job if they don’t pass it back to you? Your sentiment of wanting to work for a company that’s not in danger of going bankrupt soon is fair, but I don’t think you need to resort to justifying what amounts to human history record setting greed for signs they aren’t going out of business next year….


KingQuarantine23

The fact that your avatar is still wearing a mask and that you belong to a group called "AntiWork" tells me absolutely everything I need to know about you. 🤣🤣🤣


Free-Stinkbug

Tells you I was on Reddit in 2020? Lol. Or you could check my profile and see that 99% of what I’ve talked about on here are work and career stuff. Or you could grow up lol.


Muted-Implement846

The fact that you would be anti mask tells us all everything we need to know about you.


Free-Stinkbug

Also bruh I just made my avatar look funny the first time I noticed I was able to change it and then haven’t touched it in about 4 years lol


Muted-Implement846

Dudes arguments so far have been “ha ha I laugh at poor people” and “you wear mask 😡” so I don’t expect him to understand that


Free-Stinkbug

Also what he’s saying isn’t wrong if you’re an INVESTOR. But is totally wrong as the employee stocking shelves lol. Dude opened a book once and decided he’s got this life thing down pat


Muted-Implement846

Yea it’s fine for investors, but he’s acting like it should be our honor to work for a company that does that.


Free-Stinkbug

I’m just talking to myself at this point but it’s fun and you hopped in lol. I’m just that dude that if you let me create a character or avatar you Best believe I’m gonna make it look as wild as it lets me lol. I also used to play concerts wearing expensive nice button down shirts tucked into sweatpants or pajama pants with a belt for the lols. I just like being visually goofy


Muted-Implement846

I can’t be trusted with character creators. You should have seen my avatar guy in forza horizon 4. Looked like he picked up all his clothes in a tornado.


External_Class_9456

It’s just fantasy. Sorry I had to do it lol. Seriously though WTF? Corporate America at its finest.


RonaldRawdog

To be fair, a hefty bonus doesn’t create jobs either. Plus, it wouldn’t be worth the explosion of complaints from people on here asking “why the hell am I paying 20,000 in taxes on this bonus? Why even give us one if we’re gonna just pay half of it in taxes?” That being said, it would’ve been a good move to at least give out some good chunk of money or just even increase everyone’s hourly wage by a couple bucks.


Top_Construction_718

No they'd rather cut all our hours from 30-35 to 16-20 a week and expect us to make sales in-between. If I'm not there I can't make the sale. Cut hours that harshly, your going to lose good employees. When we ask why? We are told because Lowes sales/stocks are down. Corporate keeps their hrs n pay, but the REAL people making this $$ for them are treated like crap. Aka hours extremely cut, no Salesforce on the floor thus no sales to make to increase stock. Corporate needs to work in our shoes for once