Lowe's Companies, Inc.
Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration No. 333-33230
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 5,000,000 shares of Lowes common stock, par value $0.50 per share,
to be offered for purchase under the Lowes Plan. Lowes common stock is listed on the New York
Stock Exchange, with shares trading under the ticker symbol LOW.
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 May 15, 2008
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.
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 request to
receive a certificate for these shares and sell the shares outside the Lowes Plan.
Fees: There are enrollment, investment, brokerage, and sales fees associated with the Lowes Plan.
See page 7 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 $48.3 billion retailer, offering a complete line of home improvement
products and services. The Company, through its subsidiaries, serves more than 14 million
do-it-yourself, do-it-for-me and Commercial Business Customers each week through more than 1,550
stores in the United States and Canada. Lowes is the worlds second largest home improvement
retailer.
In 2007, the Company opened 153 new stores, and at the beginning of fiscal 2008 had approximately
174 million square feet of retail selling space. We continue our expansion and strive to maximize
our return on investment. We consider market demographics and land availability, among other
factors, to determine the best of our current store prototypes for a particular market.
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.
Headquartered in Mooresville, N.C. and founded in 1946, the Company employs more than 215,000
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. For more information, visit www.Lowes.com.
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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus may include forward-looking statements, as such are provided for by the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the Act). Statements containing words such as
expects, planned, strategy, projects, believes, opportunity, anticipates, desires,
and similar expressions are intended to highlight or indicate forward-looking statements.
Although the Company believes that the expectations, opinions, projections, and comments reflected
in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such statements
will prove to be correct. Our actual results could differ substantially from our expectations
because, for example: (i) our sales are dependent upon the general economic health of the United
States and Canada, variations in the number of new housing starts, the level of housing turnover,
repairs, remodeling and additions to existing homes, commercial building activity, and the
availability and cost of mortgage and other financing. An economic downturn, which is usually
accompanied by higher rates of unemployment, and higher prices for essentials such as fuel and
energy, can impact sales because some of our inventory is purchased by our customers for their
discretionary projects, which can be delayed or avoided altogether. In addition, unseasonable
weather may impact sales of product groups like lawn and garden, lumber, and building materials on
a short-term basis; (ii) our expansion strategy may be impacted by environmental regulations, local
zoning issues, availability and development of land, and more stringent land use regulations.
Furthermore, our ability to secure a highly-qualified workforce is an important element to the
success of our expansion strategy; (iii) many of our products, like lumber and plywood, are
commodities whose prices may fluctuate erratically within an economic cycle; (iv) our business is
highly competitive, and as we expand to larger markets and utilize new sales channels such as the
Internet, we may face new and additional forms of competition; (v) the ability to continue our
everyday low pricing strategy and provide the products that customers want depends on our vendors
providing a reliable supply of inventory at competitive prices and our ability to effectively
manage our inventory. As an increasing number of the products we sell are imported, any
restrictions or limitations on importation of specific products or failure to comply with laws and
regulations of those countries from which we import them could interrupt our supply of imported
inventory; and (vi) our commitment to increase market share and keep prices low requires us to make
substantial investments in new technology and processes whose benefits could take longer than
expected to be realized and which can be difficult to implement and integrate. Any forward-looking
statement contained in this prospectus is based upon data available as of the date of this
prospectus and speaks only as of such date.
The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as
a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. You should carefully read this prospectus
and the documents incorporated by reference in their entirety, including, in particular, the Risk
Factors included in Lowes Annual Report on Form 10-K to the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the SEC) and any changes to those Risk Factors described in any of the Companys subsequent
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q to the SEC. They contain, collectively, information that should be
considered when making your investment decision.
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THE LOWES STOCK ADVANTAGE DIRECT STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
General
1. 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.
2. |
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What options are available under the Lowes Plan? |
The Lowes Plan allows participants to:
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Make initial investments in Lowes common stock; |
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Have their common stock dividends automatically reinvested in additional shares
of Lowes common stock; and |
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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. |
Please refer to question 8 for details on fees to be paid by participants, to question 16 for
additional information regarding dividend payment options and questions 9 through 12 for further
information regarding the methods of making additional cash investments.
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 bank account. 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 $2.50 per transaction |
Brokerage trading fees (applied if shares are traded on
the open market): |
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Purchase fee (per share) |
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$ |
0.05 |
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Sales fee (per share) |
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$ |
0.12 |
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Fee on each sale of shares |
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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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* |
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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.
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.
12. 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. 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. 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.
15. 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.
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Dividends
16. Must my dividends be reinvested automatically?
No. You may elect full, partial or no reinvestment of your dividends by completing the
appropriate enrollment form obtained from the Plan Administrator. Unless you make an election, all
cash dividends on shares in your Lowes Plan account, in addition to dividends on shares held
outside of the Lowes Plan, will be paid to you and not reinvested. If you choose partial
re-investment, you must identify the number of shares in your account on which you would like to
receive cash payments for dividends.
17. 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. 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.
Sale of Shares
19. How do I sell my shares?
You can sell some or all of the Lowes Plan shares you hold in book-entry form 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 for your
convenience.
The Plan Administrator will generally sell shares daily within five business days of receipt
of proper instructions. The sale price for your shares will be the weighted average price per share
received by the Plan Administrator for all sales made that day for Lowes Plan participants. A $10
service charge and a sales fee of $0.12 per share, which includes brokerage commissions, will be
deducted from your sale proceeds.
Please note that the Plan Administrator is not able to accept instructions to sell on a
specific day or at a specific price.
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. Certificates will normally be mailed to you within five
business days of receipt of your instructions. If you sell a portion of your shares, the Plan
Administrator will continue to reinvest the dividends on the remaining shares as previously
authorized by you.
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How Shares are Held
20. 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.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. 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. 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
25. 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. 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 either to receive a certificate for the number of whole shares held in
your Lowes Plan account and a check for the value of any fractional shares, or to have all of the
shares in your Lowes Plan account sold for you as described earlier in this document and pay
applicable fees and commissions.
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 certificates as soon as is 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 physically hold
will be paid out to you and not reinvested in Lowes common stock.
Alternatively, you may request the Plan Administrator to move your shares to the Direct
Registration System (DRS), which would allow you to maintain your ownership of those whole shares
in book-entry form on the records of Lowes. 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 this alternative, you will 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.
Administration
27. 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 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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28. 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
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. 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. 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.
Additional Information
30. 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. Of course, you may request a
certificate at any time for any or all of your shares.
31. 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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32. Can the Lowes Plan be changed?
We may add to, modify or discontinue the Lowes Plan at any time. We will send you written
notice of any significant changes. Upon discontinuance 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. We will also issue whole shares in book-entry form in your name
under DRS, and 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.
33. 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.
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 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. Accordingly,
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. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports
on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports are also 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. You may also read and copy any document we file with the SEC at the SECs
public reference facility:
Public Reference Room
100 F. Street, N.E.
Room 1580
Washington, D.C. 20549
You may also obtain paper copies of the documents at prescribed rates by sending an e-mail to
publicinfo@sec.gov or by writing to the SEC at the Office of Investor Education and Advocacy, 100 F
Street N.E., Washington DC 20549-0213. More information is available on the SECs web site under
Filings and Forms (EDGAR) Requesting Paper Documents. Please call 1-800-SEC-0330 for further
information on the operations of the public reference facilities. 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 (Registration
Statement No. 333-33230) 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;
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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 and made a part hereof: (i) Lowes Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended February 1, 2008; (ii) Lowes Definitive Proxy Statement dated April 14, 2008 and (iii) 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, including any amendment or report filed for
the purpose of updating such description.
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You can obtain any of the filings incorporated by reference in this document through us, or
from the SEC through the SECs web site or at the addresses listed previously. Our Annual Report on
Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those
reports are also 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. 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
We also incorporate by reference each of the following documents that we will file with the
SEC after the date of publication of this prospectus and prior to the time we sell all of the
shares of common stock offered by this prospectus:
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Reports filed under Section 13(a) and (c) of the Exchange Act; and |
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Any reports filed under Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. |
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.
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
Hunton & Williams, Richmond, Virginia.
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The financial statements of Lowes Companies, Inc. as of and for the three years in the period
ended February 1, 2008, and managements report on the effectiveness of internal control over
financial reporting as of February 1, 2008, incorporated by reference in this prospectus have been
audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in
their reports appearing therein.
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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
May 15, 2008
For more information call 1-877-282-1174 or visit
the Lowes investor relations web site at
www.Lowes.com/investor