MED vs. LOW
MED (Medifast, Inc.) and LOW (Lowe's Companies, Inc.) are both stocks. Both are in the Consumer Cyclical sector — MED in Personal Services, LOW in Home Improvement Retail. Over the past 10 years, MED returned -7.79%/yr vs 12.85%/yr for LOW. At a 0.18 correlation, their price movements are largely independent.
Performance
MED vs. LOW - Performance Comparison
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Returns By Period
In the year-to-date period, MED achieves a 3.18% return, which is significantly higher than LOW's -10.27% return. Over the past 10 years, MED has underperformed LOW with an annualized return of -7.79%, while LOW has yielded a comparatively higher 12.85% annualized return.
MED
- 1D
- -0.18%
- 1M
- -12.47%
- YTD
- 3.18%
- 6M
- -2.74%
- 1Y
- -22.01%
- 3Y*
- -49.36%
- 5Y*
- -46.41%
- 10Y*
- -7.79%
LOW
- 1D
- -3.51%
- 1M
- -0.29%
- YTD
- -10.27%
- 6M
- -10.61%
- 1Y
- 2.76%
- 3Y*
- 1.84%
- 5Y*
- 4.28%
- 10Y*
- 12.85%
MED vs. LOW - Yearly Performance Comparison
| 2026 (YTD) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MED Medifast, Inc. | 3.18% | -39.39% | -73.79% | -38.34% | -42.31% | 9.36% | 86.18% | -9.73% | 82.11% | 72.33% |
LOW Lowe's Companies, Inc. | -10.27% | -0.33% | 13.01% | 14.03% | -21.49% | 63.34% | 36.40% | 32.23% | 1.22% | 33.29% |
Correlation
The correlation between MED and LOW is 0.18, which is low. Their price movements are largely independent, making them effective diversification partners.
| Correlation | |
|---|---|
Correlation (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 0.18 |
Correlation (3Y) Calculated over the trailing 3-year period | 0.26 |
Correlation (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period | 0.33 |
Correlation (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period | 0.30 |
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Dec 31, 1993 | 0.18 |
The correlation between MED and LOW shifts across timeframes, from 0.18 (1 year) to 0.33 (5 years), reflecting how their relationship changes across market environments.
Fundamentals
MED:
$121.29M
LOW:
$120.06B
MED:
-$1.82
LOW:
$11.86
MED:
0.35
LOW:
1.36
MED:
$346.10M
LOW:
$88.43B
MED:
$242.70M
LOW:
$29.89B
MED:
-$3.86M
LOW:
$11.50B
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Return for Risk
MED vs. LOW — Risk / Return Rank
MED
LOW
MED vs. LOW - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison
This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Medifast, Inc. (MED) and Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW). 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.
| MED | LOW | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | -0.63 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | -0.99 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 0.93 | 1.04 | -0.11 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | -0.59 | 0.10 | -0.69 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | -1.00 | 0.22 | -1.21 |
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Drawdowns
MED vs. LOW - Drawdown Comparison
The maximum MED drawdown since its inception was -98.40%, which is greater than LOW's maximum drawdown of -62.52%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for MED and LOW.
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Drawdown Indicators
| MED | LOW | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -98.40% | -62.52% | -35.88% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -37.39% | -27.75% | -9.64% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -90.91% | -27.75% | -63.16% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -96.29% | -33.86% | -62.43% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -96.76% | -48.63% | -48.13% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -96.26% | -25.04% | -71.22% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -50.87% | -16.60% | -34.27% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 22.13% | 12.72% | +9.41% |
Volatility
MED vs. LOW - Volatility Comparison
Medifast, Inc. (MED) has a higher volatility of 10.40% compared to Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) at 9.33%. This indicates that MED's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than LOW based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.
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Volatility by Period
| MED | LOW | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Volatility (1M)Calculated over the trailing 1-month period | 10.40% | 9.33% | +1.07% |
Volatility (6M)Calculated over the trailing 6-month period | 31.76% | 21.05% | +10.71% |
Volatility (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 41.83% | 26.52% | +15.31% |
Volatility (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized | 45.28% | 26.35% | +18.93% |
Volatility (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized | 47.73% | 29.23% | +18.50% |
Dividends
MED vs. LOW - Dividend Comparison
MED has not paid dividends to shareholders, while LOW's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.24%.
| Position | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LOW Lowe's Companies, Inc. | 2.24% | 1.95% | 1.82% | 1.93% | 1.86% | 1.08% | 1.40% | 1.72% | 1.93% | 1.64% | 1.77% | 1.34% |
MED Medifast, Inc. | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 7.36% | 5.69% | 2.71% | 2.30% | 3.08% | 1.75% | 2.06% | 2.57% | 0.82% |
Financials
MED vs. LOW - Financials Comparison
This section allows you to compare key financial metrics between Medifast, Inc. and Lowe's Companies, Inc.. You can select fields from income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements to easily visualize and compare the financial health of both companies.
Total Revenue: Total amount of money received from sales and other business activities
MED vs. LOW - Profitability Comparison
MED - Gross Margin
Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Medifast, Inc. reported a gross profit of 51.76M and revenue of 76.04M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 68.1%.
LOW - Gross Margin
Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Lowe's Companies, Inc. reported a gross profit of 7.54B and revenue of 23.08B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 32.7%.
MED - Operating Margin
Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Medifast, Inc. reported an operating income of -3.30M and revenue of 76.04M, resulting in an operating margin of -4.3%.
LOW - Operating Margin
Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Lowe's Companies, Inc. reported an operating income of 2.55B and revenue of 23.08B, resulting in an operating margin of 11.1%.
MED - Net Margin
Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Medifast, Inc. reported a net income of -2.12M and revenue of 76.04M, resulting in a net margin of -2.8%.
LOW - Net Margin
Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Lowe's Companies, Inc. reported a net income of 1.63B and revenue of 23.08B, resulting in a net margin of 7.1%.
Frequently Asked Questions
MED and LOW have a correlation of 0.18, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.
MED has higher volatility (10.40%) compared to LOW (9.33%). In terms of maximum drawdown, MED dropped -98.40% vs LOW's -62.52%.
LOW currently has the higher Sharpe Ratio (0.10 vs -0.53), 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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