LOW vs. SPY
LOW (Lowe's Companies, Inc.) is a stock, while SPY (State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF) is S&P 500 fund tracking the S&P 500 Index. Over the past 10 years, LOW returned 11.83%/yr vs 15.07%/yr for SPY. Their 0.52 correlation means they have sometimes moved together and sometimes differently.
Performance
LOW vs. SPY - Performance Comparison
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Returns By Period
In the year-to-date period, LOW achieves a -12.49% return, which is significantly lower than SPY's 10.13% return. Over the past 10 years, LOW has underperformed SPY with an annualized return of 11.83%, while SPY has yielded a comparatively higher 15.07% annualized return.
LOW
- 1D
- -1.08%
- 1M
- -8.09%
- 6M
- -21.33%
- YTD
- -12.49%
- 1Y
- -6.33%
- 3Y*
- -1.71%
- 5Y*
- 3.51%
- 10Y*
- 11.83%
- ALL TIME*
- 15.80%
SPY
- 1D
- 0.72%
- 1M
- 0.30%
- 6M
- 8.53%
- YTD
- 10.13%
- 1Y
- 21.49%
- 3Y*
- 19.32%
- 5Y*
- 12.76%
- 10Y*
- 15.07%
- ALL TIME*
- 10.79%
Liquidity Comparison
| Position | Avg. Volume Value (2W) | Avg. Volume Value (1M) | Avg. Volume Value (3M) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $697.98M | $655.53M | $672.08M | |
| $37.27B | $35.99B | $39.23B |
LOW vs. SPY - Yearly Performance Comparison
| 2026 (YTD) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LOW Lowe's Companies, Inc. | -12.49% | -0.33% | 13.01% | 14.03% | -21.49% | 63.34% | 36.40% | 32.23% | 1.22% | 33.29% |
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF | 10.13% | 17.72% | 24.89% | 26.18% | -18.18% | 28.73% | 18.33% | 31.22% | -4.57% | 21.71% |
Correlation
The correlation between LOW and SPY is 0.25, which is low. Their historical price movements had little consistent relationship.
| Correlation | |
|---|---|
Correlation (1Y) Focuses on recent behavior, but can change the most. | 0.25 |
Correlation (3Y) Balances recent behavior with more history. | 0.45 |
Correlation (5Y) Shows whether the relationship held over a longer period. | 0.53 |
Correlation (10Y) Provides a long-term view across more market conditions. | 0.55 |
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Jan 29, 1993 | 0.52 |
Over the past year, the correlation between LOW and SPY has dropped to 0.25 - well below their long-term average of 0.52, suggesting their price drivers have been diverging.
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Return for Risk
LOW vs. SPY — Risk / Return Rank
LOW
SPY
LOW vs. SPY - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison
This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.
Values are calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. Risk-adjusted metrics are more stable over longer periods — use the period switch above to explore them.
| LOW | SPY | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | -1.71 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | -2.20 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 0.99 | 1.27 | -0.28 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | -0.18 | 2.20 | -2.38 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | -0.34 | 9.40 | -9.74 |
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Drawdowns
LOW vs. SPY - Drawdown Comparison
The maximum LOW drawdown since its inception was -62.52%, which is greater than SPY's maximum drawdown of -55.19%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for LOW and SPY.
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Drawdown Indicators
| LOW | SPY | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -62.52% | -55.19% | -7.33% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -28.97% | -8.88% | -20.09% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -28.97% | -18.76% | -10.21% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -33.86% | -24.50% | -9.36% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -48.63% | -33.72% | -14.91% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -26.89% | -1.40% | -25.49% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -16.63% | -9.01% | -7.62% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 15.23% | 2.08% | +13.15% |
Volatility
LOW vs. SPY - Volatility Comparison
Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) has a higher volatility of 9.51% compared to State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) at 3.58%. This indicates that LOW's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SPY based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.
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Volatility by Period
| LOW | SPY | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Volatility (1M)Calculated over the trailing 1-month period | 9.51% | 3.58% | +5.93% |
Volatility (6M)Calculated over the trailing 6-month period | 21.44% | 10.14% | +11.30% |
Volatility (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 27.38% | 12.89% | +14.49% |
Volatility (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized | 26.63% | 17.18% | +9.45% |
Volatility (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized | 29.34% | 17.95% | +11.39% |
Dividends
LOW vs. SPY - Dividend Comparison
LOW's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.33%, more than SPY's 1.01% yield.
| Position | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LOW Lowe's Companies, Inc. | 2.33% | 1.95% | 1.82% | 1.93% | 1.86% | 1.08% | 1.40% | 1.72% | 1.93% | 1.64% | 1.77% | 1.34% |
SPY State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF | 1.01% | 1.07% | 1.21% | 1.40% | 1.65% | 1.20% | 1.52% | 1.75% | 2.04% | 1.80% | 2.03% | 2.06% |
Frequently Asked Questions
LOW and SPY have a correlation of 0.25, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.
LOW has higher volatility (9.51%) compared to SPY (3.58%). In terms of maximum drawdown, LOW dropped -62.52% vs SPY's -55.19%.
SPY currently has the higher Sharpe Ratio (1.52 vs -0.19), meaning it's delivered slightly more return per unit of risk over the trailing 12 months. However, this ranking shifts over time - use the Risk/Return Score above for a more comprehensive view that combines Sharpe, Sortino, and other measures used by quantitative funds.
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