e424b3
Filed
Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration No. 333-155748
Prospectus
Lowes Companies, Inc. (Lowes or the Company) is pleased to offer you the
opportunity to participate in Lowes Stock Advantage Direct Stock Purchase Plan (the Lowes
Plan). The Lowes Plan is designed to provide you with a convenient method to purchase shares of
Lowes common stock and to reinvest cash dividends in the purchase of additional shares.
Computershare Trust Company, N.A. will act as Plan Administrator for the Lowes Plan.
This prospectus relates to 2,500,000 shares of Lowes common stock, par value $0.50 per share,
to be offered for purchase under the Lowes Plan. Please read this prospectus carefully and keep it
and any transaction statements or other communications you may receive relating to the Lowes Plan
for future reference. Lowes common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, with shares
trading under the ticker symbol LOW. On July 12, 2010, the closing price of the common stock was
$20.36.
The shares of Lowes common stock being offered are not insured or protected by any
governmental agency, and involve investment risk, including the possible loss of principal. In
addition, dividends may go up and down.
This prospectus is not an offer to sell securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy
securities in any state or country where the offer or sale is not permitted. To the extent required
by applicable law in certain jurisdictions, shares offered through the Lowes Plan are offered only
through a registered broker-dealer in those jurisdictions.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has
approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this
prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is July 14, 2010.
Key Features of the Lowes Stock Advantage Direct Stock Purchase Plan
Enrollment: If you currently own Lowes common stock registered in your name, you may
participate in the Lowes Plan by completing and returning an Enrollment Form. If you own Lowes
common stock, but your shares are currently held by a bank or broker in its name (i.e., street
name), you will need to register the shares in your name and then complete an Enrollment Form.
If you wish to leave your shares in street name or if you currently do not own any shares of
Lowes common stock, you may join the Lowes Plan by completing an Initial Enrollment Form and
making an initial cash investment of at least $250, or by establishing an automatic monthly
deduction from your U.S. bank account for a minimum of $25 and continuing that deduction without
interruption until your cash investment exceeds $250.
Additional Investments: Once you have enrolled, you may make additional investments in any amount
from $25 to $250,000 per year by check or through automatic monthly deductions from a qualified
U.S. bank account.
Dividend Reinvestments: You may reinvest all, some, or none of your cash dividends in additional
shares of Lowes common stock. You may change your reinvestment election at any time by accessing
your account online, or by contacting the Plan Administrator by telephone or in writing.
Safekeeping of Shares: All shares of Lowes common stock purchased through the Lowes Plan will be
held by the Plan Administrator in book-entry form in your account. If you hold Lowes common stock
certificates outside of the Lowes Plan, you may deposit those certificates for safekeeping with
the Plan Administrator, and those shares will be reflected in your Lowes Plan account.
Sale of Shares: The Lowes Plan provides you with the ability to sell all or any portion of your
shares of Lowes common stock held in the Lowes Plan in book-entry form. You may also sell your
shares outside the Lowes Plan either by requesting a stock certificate for the number of whole
shares you wish to sell and presenting the certificate to a broker, or by requesting the number of
whole shares you wish to sell be converted to book-entry form in the Direct Registration System
(DRS). Shares held in DRS have the same rights and privileges as shares of Lowes common stock
registered on Lowes records that are represented by a certificate.
Fees: There are enrollment, investment, brokerage, and sales fees associated with the Lowes Plan.
See page 6 for the Lowes Plans fee schedule.
More Information: For more information about the Lowes Plan, call the Lowes Plans toll free
number, 1-877-282-1174, or visit Lowes Investor Relations web site at www.Lowes.com/investor.
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INFORMATION ABOUT LOWES
Lowes Companies, Inc. is a $47.2 billion retailer, offering a complete line of home
improvement products and services. The Company, through its subsidiaries, serves more than 15
million do-it-yourself, do-it-for-me and Commercial Business Customers each week through more than
1,700 stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Lowes is the worlds second largest home
improvement retailer.
Lowes is an active supporter of the communities it serves. The Company is a national partner with
both the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity International, and supports numerous local
charities. Through the Lowes Heroes volunteer program the Company provides help to civic groups
with public safety projects and shares important home safety and fire prevention information with
neighborhoods across the country. Lowes is committed to understanding and reflecting its
communities diverse cultures in staffing, business partnerships and the products it sells. Lowes
is committed to making diversity and inclusion a natural part of the way it does business.
Founded in 1946, the Company employs more than 238,000 people. Over four percent of Lowes common
stock is owned by the Companys employees through the Lowes 401(k) Plan. Lowes has been a
publicly held company since October 10, 1961. The Companys common stock is listed on the New York
Stock Exchange with shares trading under the ticker symbol LOW. The Company has its principal
executive offices at 1000 Lowes Boulevard, Mooresville NC 28117 (telephone (704) 758-1000). For
more information, visit www.Lowes.com.
RISK FACTORS
Our business is subject to risks. You should carefully consider the descriptions of those
risks, including the risks and uncertainties described under the caption Risk Factors in our
Annual Report on Form 10-K and the description of material changes, if any, in those Risk Factors
included in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. You should also consider the risks and
uncertainties described under the caption Forward-Looking Statements in our Quarterly Reports on
Form 10-Q. If any of those risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition and results of
operations could be adversely affected in a material way. This could cause the trading price of our
common stock to decline, perhaps significantly, and you may lose part or all of your investment.
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THE LOWES STOCK ADVANTAGE DIRECT STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
General
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What is the Lowes Stock Advantage Direct Stock Purchase Plan? |
The Lowes Stock Advantage Direct Stock Purchase Plan is a convenient and low cost purchase
plan which enables new investors to make an initial investment in Lowes common stock and existing
investors to increase their holdings of Lowes common stock. Participants may elect to have
dividends automatically reinvested in Lowes common stock and/or to make optional cash investments
through the Plan Administrator, Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (Computershare). Computershare
Inc., an affiliate of Computershare and a transfer agent registered with the SEC, acts as service
agent for Computershare.
Computershare
P.O. Box 43078
Providence, RI 02940-3078
1-877-282-1174
www.computershare.com/investor
Participation is entirely voluntary and we give no advice regarding your decision to join the
Lowes Plan. If you decide to participate, an Enrollment Form is enclosed for your convenience.
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What options are available under the Lowes Plan? |
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The Lowes Plan allows participants to: |
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Make initial investments in Lowes common stock; |
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Make additional cash investments in Lowes common stock, including the option to
make automatic monthly purchases by authorizing deductions from a U.S. bank account;
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Have their common stock dividends automatically reinvested in additional shares of
Lowes common stock. |
Please refer to question 8 for details on fees to be paid by participants, to questions 9
through 12 for further information regarding the methods of making additional cash investments and
question 16 for additional information regarding dividend payment options.
Please retain all transaction statements for your records. The statements contain important
tax and other information.
3. |
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Who is eligible to participate in the Lowes Plan? |
All U.S. citizens are eligible to participate in the Lowes Plan, whether or not they are
currently shareholders of Lowes.
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4. |
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Can non-U.S. citizens participate in the Lowes Plan? |
Yes. If you are not a U.S. citizen, you can participate in the Lowes Plan provided there are
not any laws or governmental regulations that would prohibit you from participating or laws or
governmental regulations that would affect the terms of the Lowes Plan. Lowes reserves the right
to terminate participation of any shareholder if it deems it advisable under any foreign laws or
regulations. All Lowes Plan funds must be in U.S. dollars and drawn on a U.S. bank. If you are not
in the United States, contact your bank to verify that they can provide you with a check that
clears through a U.S. bank and can print the dollar amount in U.S. funds. Due to the longer
clearance period, we are unable to accept checks clearing through non-U.S. banks. Please contact
your local bank for details on how to make the transaction.
Eligibility and Enrollment
5. |
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How does a Lowes shareholder enroll in the Lowes Plan? |
If you are already a Lowes shareholder of record (i.e., if you own shares that are registered
in your name, not your brokers), you may enroll in the Lowes Plan simply by completing and
returning an
Enrollment Form. This form can be requested from the Computershare web site or by calling
Computershare at 1-877-282-1174.
6. |
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I already own shares, but they are held by my bank or broker and registered in street name.
How can I participate? |
If you currently own shares of Lowes common stock that are held on your behalf by a bank or
broker (i.e., street name), you will need to arrange with your bank or broker to have at least
one share registered directly in your name in order to be eligible to participate. Once the
share(s) are registered in your name, you can complete an Enrollment Form. Alternatively, you may
enroll in the Lowes Plan in the same manner as someone who is not currently a shareholder (see
question 7).
7. |
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Im not currently a shareholder. May I participate in the Lowes Plan? |
If you currently do not hold shares of Lowes common stock, you may enroll in the Lowes Plan
by completing an Initial Enrollment Form for new investors and making an initial investment of at
least $250 by check or electronic debit from your U.S. bank account, or by establishing an
automatic monthly deduction from your U.S. bank account for a minimum of $25 and continuing without
interruption until your cash investment exceeds $250. In both cases, an enrollment fee of $5 will
be deducted from your initial investment.
8. |
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Are there fees associated with enrollment? |
Participation in the Lowes Plan is subject to fees disclosed in this prospectus. These fees
may change at any time, and you will be notified of any changes.
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Fee Schedule
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One-time enrollment fee in Lowes Plan
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$5.00* |
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Lowes Plan investment fees: |
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For each dividend reinvestment
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Company paid |
For each check
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5% of investment, up to a maximum of $2.50
per transaction |
For each automatic debit
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5% of investment, up to a maximum of $2.50
per transaction |
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Brokerage trading fees (applied if shares are
traded on the open market): |
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Purchase fee (per share)
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$0.05 |
Sales fee (per share)
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$0.12 |
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Fee on each sale of shares |
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Market Order Sales
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$25.00 |
Batch Order Sales
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$10.00 |
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Fee for returned check or rejected automatic
deductions
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$25.00 |
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If you are a shareholder of record, this enrollment fee will be waived. If you are not a
shareholder of record, this enrollment fee will apply and will be deducted from your initial
investment. |
Additional Investments
9. |
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What are the minimum and maximum amounts for additional investments? |
The minimum amount for additional investments is $25 each investment and the maximum amount is
$250,000 during any calendar year.
10. |
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How do I make an additional investment? |
You may send a check payable in U.S. dollars to Lowes Stock Advantage Direct Stock Purchase
Plan. Checks must be drawn against a U.S. bank or U.S. bank affiliate. Cash, travelers checks,
money orders and third-party checks are not allowed. Checks must be accompanied by the appropriate
section of your account statement and mailed to Lowes Stock Advantage Direct Stock Purchase Plan,
c/o Computershare at the address indicated on your account statement. Additional investments can
also be made through the Computershare web site.
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11. |
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May I have additional investments automatically deducted from my bank account? |
Yes. You may authorize ongoing monthly automatic deductions from an account at a financial
institution that is a member of the National Automated Clearing House Association.
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To initiate this service, you must send a completed Direct Debit Authorization Form
to the Plan Administrator at any time after you have enrolled in the Lowes Plan, or
complete the form at the time of enrolling in the Lowes Plan online at
www.computershare.com/investor. |
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To change any aspect of the instruction, you must send a revised Direct Debit
Authorization Form to the Plan Administrator or go to your account online and change
your personal options. |
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To cancel deductions, you must notify the Plan Administrator by writing to the
address on your account statement, or by calling Computershare toll free at
1-877-282-1174, or by changing your Plan account options at
www.computershare.com/investor. |
Initial set-up, changes and terminations to the automatic deduction instructions will be made
to your account as soon as practicable. Once enrollment is effective, funds will be automatically
deducted from your designated account on the 25th day of each month, or the next business day if
the 25th is not a business day.
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Will I be charged fees for additional investments? |
Yes. For any investment made by check, a service charge of 5% of the amount of your
investment, up to a maximum of $2.50 per transaction, will be deducted at the time of the
investment. The same charge will be deducted for any investment made by automatic monthly
deduction. In addition, the purchase price will include a purchase fee of $.05 per share, which
includes brokerage commissions, if purchases are being made from the open market.
13. |
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How are payments with insufficient funds handled? |
If the Plan Administrator does not receive a payment because of insufficient funds or
incorrect draft information, the requested purchase will be deemed void, and the Plan Administrator
will immediately remove from your account any shares purchased in anticipation of receiving such
funds. If the net proceeds from the sale of such shares are insufficient to satisfy the balance of
the uncollected amounts, the Plan Administrator may sell additional shares from your account as
necessary to satisfy the uncollected balance.
In addition, an insufficient funds fee of $25.00 will be charged. The Plan Administrator may
place a hold on the Lowes Plan account until the insufficient funds fee is received from you, or
may sell shares from your account to satisfy any uncollected amounts.
14. |
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When will shares be purchased? |
For initial investments and optional additional cash investments, the Plan Administrator will
buy shares each week, beginning on Thursday (or the next business day) if your funds are received
at least two business days before that Thursday.
For automatic monthly purchases, shares will be purchased by Computershare on the first
Thursday following the 25th day of the month, if your automatic monthly purchase enrollment
material is received by the last business day of the previous month.
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15. |
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What is the price of shares purchased under the Lowes Plan? |
The purchase price for shares purchased by the Plan Administrator in the open market will be
the weighted average price per share paid by the Plan Administrator for all purchases made that
week for Lowes Plan participants. The purchase price for shares purchased from Lowes will be the
average of the high and low sales price reported on the New York Stock Exchanges consolidated tape
for the day of the transaction.
The Plan Administrator will use your investment to purchase as many full shares as possible
and will use any amount remaining to purchase a fraction of a share.
Dividends
16. |
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Can my dividends be reinvested automatically? |
Yes. You may elect on your enrollment form full, partial or no reinvestment of your dividends.
If you make no election on your enrollment form, cash dividends on all shares in your account will
be reinvested. If you choose partial reinvestment, you must identify the number of shares in your
account on which you would like to receive cash payments for dividends.
17. |
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When will my dividends be reinvested and at what price? |
The purchase of shares with your reinvested dividends will generally begin on the dividend
payment date (or next business day) and be completed within five business days of the dividend
payment date. The price of shares purchased on the open market with dividends will be the weighted
average price of all shares purchased with reinvested dividends. If shares are purchased from
Lowes, the purchase price will be the average of the high and low sales price reported on the New
York Stock Exchanges consolidated tape for the day of the transaction.
Source of Stock
18. |
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What is the source of Lowes common stock purchased through the Lowes Plan? |
At Lowes option, share purchases will be made in the open market or directly from Lowes.
Share purchases on the open market may be made on any stock exchange where Lowes common stock is
traded or by negotiated transactions on such terms as the Plan Administrator may reasonably
determine. Neither Lowes nor any participant will have any authority or power to direct the date,
time or price at which shares may be purchased by the Plan Administrator.
Lowes will receive proceeds from purchases of common stock by participants in the Lowes Plan
only to the extent that such purchases are made directly from Lowes and not in the open market.
Lowes is unable to estimate the number of shares, if any, that will be purchased directly from
Lowes under the Lowes Plan or the amount of proceeds from any such purchases. If shares for the
Lowes Plan are purchased directly from Lowes, the net proceeds will be used by Lowes for general
corporate purposes.
Sale of Shares
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How do I sell my shares? |
You can sell some or all of the Lowes Plan shares you hold in any of three ways: by providing
written instructions to the Plan Administrator; by calling the Plan Administrator toll free at
1-877-282-1174; or by accessing your Computershare shareholder account online. Each account
statement you receive will have a sale coupon form attached
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for your convenience. If you sell only a portion of your shares, the Plan Administrator will
continue to reinvest the dividends on your remaining shares in the Lowes Plan as previously
authorized by you.
You have two choices when making a sale, depending on how you submit your sale request, as
follows:
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Market Order: A market order is a request to sell shares promptly at the current
market price. Market order sale requests can only be received at
www.computershare.com/investor or by telephone, and will be placed promptly upon
receipt during market hours (normally 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). Any orders
received after 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time will be placed promptly on the next day the
market is open. The price shall be the market price of the sale obtained by the Plan
Administrators broker, less a service charge of $25 and a per share fee of $0.12.
Written sales instructions received by mail will be processed as a batch order sale. |
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Batch Order: A batch order is an accumulation of all sales requests for a security
submitted together as a collective request. Batch orders are submitted on each market
day, assuming there are sale requests to be processed. Sale instructions for batch
orders received by the Plan Administrator will be processed no later than five
business days after the date on which the order is received (except where deferral is
required under applicable federal or state laws or regulations), assuming the
applicable market is open for trading and sufficient market liquidity exists. All
sales requests received in writing will be submitted as batch order sales. The Plan
Administrator will cause your shares to be sold on the open market within five
business days of receipt of your request. To maximize cost savings for batch order
sale requests, the Plan Administrator will seek to sell shares in round lot
transactions. For this purpose the Plan Administrator may combine each selling program
participants shares with those of other selling program participants. In every case
of a batch order sale, the price to each selling program participant shall be the
weighted average sale price obtained by the Plan Administrators broker for each
aggregate order placed by the Plan Administrator and executed by the broker, less a
service charge of $10 and a per share fee of $0.12. Proceeds are normally paid by
check, which are distributed within 24 hours after your sale transaction has settled. |
All per share fees include any brokerage commissions the Plan Administrator is required to
pay. Instructions sent to the Plan Administrator are binding and may not be rescinded. The Plan
Administrator may require a sale request be submitted in writing. You should contact the Plan
Administrator to determine if there are any limitations applicable to a particular sale request.
If you elect to sell shares online at www.computershare.com/investor, you may use the Plan
Administrators international currency exchange service to convert your sale proceeds to your local
currency prior to being sent to you. Receiving your sales proceeds in a local currency and having
your check drawn on a local bank avoids the timely and costly collection process required for
cashing U.S. dollar checks. This service is subject to additional terms and conditions and fees,
which you must agree to online.
The Plan Administrator reserves the right to decline to process a sale if it determines, in
its sole discretion, that supporting legal documentation is required. In addition, no one will have
any authority or power to direct the time or price at which shares purchased through the Lowes
Plan are sold and no one,
other than the Plan Administrator, will select the broker(s) or dealer(s) through or from whom
sales are to be made.
If you prefer, you can withdraw shares from the Lowes Plan, at no cost to you, and sell them
through a broker of your own choosing. You may do so either by requesting a certificate for the
shares and presenting it to the broker or by requesting the shares you wish to sell be converted to
book-entry form in DRS. If you request a certificate for
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the shares, the certificate will normally be mailed to you within five business days of receipt of
your instructions. If you withdraw and sell only a portion of your shares, the Plan Administrator
will continue to reinvest the dividends on your remaining shares in the Lowes Plan as previously
authorized by you.
How Shares are Held
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How does the safekeeping service (book-entry shares) work? |
All shares of Lowes common stock that are purchased through the Lowes Plan will be held by
the Plan Administrator and recorded in book-entry form in your Lowes Plan account on the records
of the Plan Administrator. If you hold Lowes common stock certificates outside the Lowes Plan you
may also, at any time, deposit those certificates for safekeeping with the Plan Administrator, and
the shares represented by the deposited certificates will be included in book-entry form in your
Lowes Plan account.
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How do I deposit my Lowes stock certificates with the Plan Administrator? |
To deposit certificates into the Lowes Plan, you should send your certificates, by registered
and insured mail, to the Plan Administrator at Lowes Stock Advantage Direct Stock Purchase Plan,
c/o Computershare, P.O. Box 43078, Providence, RI 02940-3078, with written instructions to deposit
those shares in your Lowes Plan account. The certificates should not be endorsed and the
assignment section should not be completed. We recommend insuring certificates for at least three
percent of the market value to cover the cost of a surety bond in the event the shares are lost in
transit to the Plan Administrator.
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Are there any charges associated with this custodial service? |
No. There is no cost to you for having the Plan Administrator hold the shares purchased for
you through the Lowes Plan or for having the Plan Administrator deposit the stock certificates you
hold into your account.
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How can I receive a stock certificate? |
Normally, stock certificates for shares purchased under the Lowes Plan will not be issued;
rather shares will be registered in the name of the Plan Administrator or its nominee and credited
to your Lowes Plan account. However, you may request a stock certificate by indicating your
preference on the stub attached to your account statement and forwarding it to the Plan
Administrator. There is no charge for this service. Stock certificates for fractional shares will
not be issued.
Transfers of Shares
24. |
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Can I transfer shares that I hold in the Lowes Plan to someone else? |
Yes. You may transfer ownership of some or all of your Lowes Plan shares by sending the Plan
Administrator written transfer instructions. Your signature must be Medallion Guaranteed by a
financial institution. Most banks and brokers participate in the Medallion Guarantee program. The
Medallion Guarantee program ensures that the individual signing is in fact the owner of the
participants account.
You may transfer shares to new or existing Lowes shareholders. However, a new Lowes Plan
account will not be opened for a transferee as a result of a transfer of less than one full share.
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Change of Address
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Ive just moved. How can I request a change of address or update other personal data? |
It is important that our records contain your most up-to-date personal data. If you need to
request a change of address or update other personal data, you may access your Computershare
account online, call Computershare toll free at 1-877-282-1174, or write to them at the address
listed in question 28.
Withdrawal from the Lowes Stock Advantage Direct Stock Purchase Plan
26. |
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How do I close my Lowes Plan account? |
You may terminate your participation in the Lowes Plan either by completing the appropriate
section of your account statement and returning it to the Plan Administrator or by giving notice to
the Plan Administrator in writing, on the phone or through your Computershare account online. Upon
termination, you may elect to receive a certificate for the number of whole shares held in your
Lowes Plan account or to have all of the shares in your Lowes Plan account sold for you as
described earlier in this prospectus and pay applicable fees and commissions. Alternatively, you
may request the Plan Administrator convert your shares to book-entry form in DRS. Shares held in
DRS have the same rights and privileges as shares of Lowes common stock registered on Lowes
records that are represented by a certificate. If you choose either this alternative or to receive
a physical certificate, you will also receive a check for the value of any fractional shares you
held in the Lowes Plan, less any applicable fees, for selling those fractional shares.
If you elect to receive a certificate or to have your shares sold, the Plan Administrator will
send you your proceeds, without interest, or your certificate (with a check for the value of any
fractional shares) as soon as practicable. If a notice of withdrawal is received on or after the
record date, but before the related dividend payment date, the Plan Administrator may not process
your request until after the dividend reinvestment has posted to your account. Thereafter, cash
dividends on shares you hold in book-entry form in DRS or in certificate form will be paid out to
you and not reinvested in Lowes common stock.
Administration
27. |
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Who administers the Lowes Stock Advantage Direct Stock Purchase Plan? |
The Lowes Plan is administered by Computershare, which also serves as Lowes stock transfer
agent, registrar and dividend disbursing agent. As Plan Administrator, Computershare acts as agent
for Lowes Plan participants and keeps records, sends statements and performs other duties relating
to the Lowes Plan. Computershare Inc., an affiliate of Computershare and a transfer agent
registered with the SEC, acts as service agent for Computershare.
Purchases and sales of Lowes common stock under the Lowes Plan are made by a broker-dealer
acting as purchasing or selling agent for Lowes Plan participants. To the extent required by
applicable law in certain jurisdictions, shares offered under the Lowes Plan are offered through a
broker-dealer.
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How do I contact the Plan Administrator? |
You may contact the Plan Administrator by writing to:
Lowes Stock Advantage Direct Stock Purchase Plan
c/o Computershare
P.O. Box 43078
Providence, RI 02940-3078
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You may also telephone the Plan Administrator toll free at 1-877-282-1174. Automated telephone
information is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customer service representatives are
available between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
You may access your account online to purchase additional shares of Lowes common stock,
change your address, certify your tax identification number, change your dividend reinvestment
options, modify your monthly investment withdrawals, and request duplicate 1099-DIV Tax Forms,
among other features. Go to www.computershare.com/investor. When communicating with the Plan
Administrator, you should have available your account number and taxpayer identification number.
29. |
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What kind of reports will be sent to participants in the Lowes Plan? |
If you reinvest your dividends under the Lowes Plan, you will receive a quarterly statement
of account activity. Supplemental account statements will be provided for any month in which you
make a cash investment or deposit or transfer or withdraw shares. You will also receive transaction
statements promptly after each sale of shares under the Lowes Plan. For market order sales, the
time of the sale will be provided. You should retain these statements in order to establish the
cost basis of shares purchased under the Lowes Plan for income tax and other purposes. In
addition, you will receive all communications sent to other shareholders, such as annual reports
and proxy statements, or a Notice of Internet Availability of such communications.
Additional Information
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How would a stock split or stock dividend affect my account? |
Any shares resulting from a stock split or stock dividend paid on shares held in custody for
you by the Plan Administrator will be credited to your book-entry position in the Lowes Plan. Of
course, you may request a certificate at any time for any or all of your whole shares or request
that they be converted to book-entry form in DRS.
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How do I vote my Lowes Plan shares at shareholder meetings? |
In connection with each meeting of Lowes shareholders, you will receive either a paper copy
of Lowes proxy statement, together with a proxy card, or a Notice of Internet Availability of
Proxy Materials. If you receive a proxy card, it will allow you to vote your shares by telephone,
via the Internet or by mail. If you receive a Notice of Internet Availability of Lowes Proxy
Materials, it will include instructions on how to access Lowes proxy materials and vote your
shares via the Internet. The Notice will also include instructions on how you may request delivery
at no cost to you of a paper or email copy of Lowes proxy materials.
Fractional shares will be aggregated and voted with the participants directions. If you do
not vote your shares via the Internet, by telephone or by signing and returning a proxy card, the
shares will not be voted.
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Can the Lowes Plan be changed? |
Yes. We may add to, modify, suspend or terminate the Lowes Plan at any time. We will send you
written notice of any significant changes, which may be included on your quarterly account
statement. Upon termination of the Lowes Plan, we will return to you any uninvested automatic
deductions from your bank account and any uninvested optional cash investments or initial
investment. Whole shares held in your account under the Lowes Plan will be converted to book-entry
form in DRS. We will pay you in cash for any fractional shares credited to your account.
Alternatively, you may request the Plan Administrator to issue a stock certificate free of charge.
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What are the responsibilities of Lowes and the Plan Administrator? |
Neither Lowes nor the Plan Administrator, Computershare, will be liable for any act, or for
any failure to act as long as they have made good faith efforts to carry out the terms of the
Lowes Plan, as described in this prospectus and on the forms that accompany each investment or
activity.
Participants should recognize that neither Lowes nor the Plan Administrator can promise a
profit or protect against a loss on the common stock purchased under the Lowes Plan. For more
information about the risks and uncertainties that Lowes is exposed to, you should read the Risk
Factors included in Lowes Annual Report on Form 10-K to the SEC and the description of material
changes, if any, in those Risk Factors included in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Although the Lowes Plan provides for the reinvestment of dividends, the declaration and
payment of dividends will continue to be determined by the Lowes Board of Directors at its
discretion, depending upon future earnings, the financial condition of Lowes and other factors.
The amount and timing of dividends may be changed, or the payment of dividends terminated, at any
time without notice.
Tax Consequences
You should consult with your tax advisor for a complete analysis of the tax consequences of
participating in the Lowes Plan. The following summary is for general information only.
Cash dividends reinvested under the Lowes Plan will be taxable for U.S. Federal income tax
purposes as having been received by you even though you have not actually received them in cash.
You will receive an annual statement from the Plan Administrator indicating the amount of
reinvested dividends reported to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as dividend income.
You will not realize a gain or loss for U.S. Federal income tax purposes upon a transfer of
shares to the Lowes Plan or the withdrawal of whole shares from the Lowes Plan. You will,
however, generally realize a gain or loss when shares are sold, including any fractional share
interest for which you receive cash upon termination of your participation in the Lowes Plan. The
amount of gain or loss will be the difference between the amount that you receive for the shares
sold and your tax basis for the shares. In order to determine the tax basis for shares in your
account, you should retain all account and transaction statements.
Lowes Plan participants who are foreign persons generally are subject to a withholding tax on
dividends paid on shares held in the Lowes Plan. The Plan Administrator is required to withhold
from dividends paid to foreign shareholders the appropriate amount, under current law, determined
in accordance with Internal Revenue Service regulations. Where applicable, this withholding tax may
be determined by treaty between the U.S. and the country in which the participant resides. In
addition, dividends paid on shares in Lowes Plan accounts, and the proceeds of any sale of shares,
may be subject to the current applicable backup withholding tax rate under the Internal Revenue
Code if the participant does not provide an IRS Form W-9 certifying that the participant is not
subject to backup withholding tax. If a participant is subject to a withholding tax, the amount of
any dividends that will be credited to a participants Lowes Plan account for investment in
additional shares of Lowes common stock will be net of any applicable withholding tax.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information
with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SECs web site
at http://www.sec.gov, and free of charge through our web site at www.Lowes.com/investor as soon as
reasonably practicable after we file them with, or furnish them to, the SEC. The information
contained on our web site is not incorporated into or a part of this prospectus. You may also read
and copy any document we file with the SEC at the following location:
Public Reference Room
100 F Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20549
You may also obtain copies of this information by mail from the Public Reference Section of
the Commission, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates. You may obtain
information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the Commission at
1-800-SEC-0330. Our SEC filings are also available at the offices of the New York Stock Exchange,
20 Broad Street, New York, New York 10005.
This prospectus constitutes part of a registration statement on Form S-3 filed by Lowes under
the Securities Act of 1933. As allowed by SEC rules, this prospectus does not contain all the
information you can find in the registration statement or the exhibits to the registration
statement.
INCORPORATION OF INFORMATION WE FILE WITH THE SEC
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference in this prospectus the information we
file with the SEC, which means:
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Incorporated documents are considered part of this prospectus; |
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We can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents; and |
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Information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede the
information in this prospectus and any information that was previously incorporated. |
The following documents filed by Lowes with the SEC (File No. 1-7898) are incorporated herein
by reference:
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(i) |
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Lowes Annual Report on Form 10-K and the amendments thereto on Form 10-K/A for the
fiscal year ended January 29, 2010; |
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(ii) |
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Lowes Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended April 30, 2010; |
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(iii) |
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Lowes Current Reports on Form 8-K filed April 15, 2010, May 11, 2010, May 18, 2010
and June 18, 2010; and |
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(iv) |
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the description of Lowes common stock contained in Lowes registration statement on
Form 8-A
filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act),
including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description. |
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We also incorporate by reference any documents that we file with the SEC under Sections 13(a),
13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (other than those Current Reports on Form 8-K which
furnish information pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of such report and exhibits furnished in
connection therewith) after the date of publication of this prospectus and prior to the termination
or completion of the offering of the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus.
Any report, document or portion thereof that is furnished to, but not filed with, the
Commission is not incorporated by reference. Any statement contained in a document incorporated by
reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to
the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document that is
incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such earlier statement. Any such statement
so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a
part of this prospectus.
You can obtain any of the filings incorporated by reference in this document through us or
from the SEC at the SECs web site or at the address described above. Documents incorporated by
reference are made available free of charge through our web site at www.Lowes.com/investor as soon
as reasonably practicable after we file them with, or furnish them to, the SEC. The information
contained on our web site is not incorporated into or a part of this prospectus. Paper copies of
documents incorporated by reference are available from us without charge, excluding any exhibits to
those documents unless the exhibit is specifically incorporated by reference as an exhibit in this
prospectus. You can obtain paper copies of documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus
by requesting them in writing, or by telephone, from us at the following address or telephone
numbers:
Lowes Companies, Inc.
Investor Relations
1000 Lowes Boulevard
Mooresville, NC 28117
Telephone: (704) 758-1000 or (888) 34LOWES
If you request any incorporated documents from us, we will mail them to you by first class
mail, promptly after we receive your request.
USE OF PROCEEDS
Lowes will receive proceeds from the purchase of common stock through the Lowes Plan
only to the extent that such purchases are made directly from Lowes and not from open market
purchases by Computershare. Any proceeds received by us (which cannot be estimated) will be used
for general corporate purposes.
LEGAL OPINIONS
The legality of the common stock covered by this prospectus has been passed upon for us
by Moore & Van Allen PLLC, Charlotte, North Carolina.
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The consolidated financial statements and the related consolidated financial statement
schedule incorporated by reference in this prospectus from the Lowes Companies, Inc. and
subsidiaries (the Company) Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 29, 2010,
as amended, and the effectiveness of the Companys internal control over financial reporting as of
January 29, 2010, have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public
accounting firm, as stated in their reports appearing therein.
15
In making your investment decision, you should
rely only on the information contained or
incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We
have not authorized anyone else to provide you
with information in addition to or different
from the information contained or incorporated
by reference in this prospectus or represent
anything else about us or this offering. We are
not making any offer of these securities in any
state where the offer is not permitted. Except
as otherwise indicated, the information
appearing in this prospectus speaks only as of
the date on the front of this document. Our
business, financial condition, results of
operations and prospects may have changed since
that date.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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INFORMATION ABOUT LOWES |
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3 |
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RISK FACTORS |
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3 |
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THE LOWES STOCK ADVANTAGE DIRECT
STOCK PURCHASE PLAN |
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4 |
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE
INFORMATION |
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14 |
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INCORPORATION OF INFORMATION WE
FILE WITH THE SEC |
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14 |
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USE OF PROCEEDS |
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15 |
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LEGAL OPINIONS |
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15 |
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INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC
ACCOUNTING FIRM |
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15 |
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July 14, 2010
For more information call 1-877-282-1174 or visit
the Lowes investor relations web site at
www.Lowes.com/investor
002CS62687