Look up the statement of cash flows for both Home Depot and Lowes using Yahoo! Finance.
a. Compute the quality of earnings ratio for both firms and all three years of data provided.
b. Compare the quality of earnings ratio for the two firms. For which firm do you feel most comfortable about the reported earnings quality? Explain.
c. Compute the capital acquisitions ratios for the latest three years for both firms.
d. Compare Home Depot’s and Lowes’ abilities to use of operating cash flow to finance their capital expenditures. Which firm has relied more on the capital markets?