Lowe's (NYSE: LOW) is one of the largest hardware stores in the United States. Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE: SMG) is one of the largest providers of lawn-care products and a key supplier to Lowe's. Scotts has gotten itself into the weed space, and that could be a catalyst for the future that changes this matchup in a big way. Here's what you need to know to decide if Scotts is a better buy than Lowe's.
Lowe's owns and operates big-box hardware stores. It's highly likely that you know the company's name and that it competes directly with larger peer Home Depot (NYSE: HD). Although the two companies have a similar number of stores, Home Depot's top line was 50% larger than Lowe's last year, and its operating margin was more than twice as high. Lowe's is, basically, No. 2 by a wide margin.
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