What if you'd held LOW?
A $1,000 investment in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) at the month-end close of 1980-03 would be worth $901,639 at the close of 2026-08 — +90063.9% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $75,502.
Your scenario
Result
If you'd bought $1,000 at the start of each year
Value of $1,000 invested on January 1 of each year, held to 2026-08, dividends included. Click any year for the full story.
Every year, $1,000 from 1980
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $1,000 | — |
| 1981 | $678 | -32.2% |
| 1982 | $1,836 | +170.9% |
| 1983 | $1,188 | -35.3% |
| 1984 | $1,313 | +10.6% |
| 1985 | $1,382 | +5.2% |
| 1986 | $1,439 | +4.1% |
| 1987 | $907 | -36.9% |
| 1988 | $1,209 | +33.2% |
| 1989 | $1,731 | +43.2% |
| 1990 | $1,463 | -15.5% |
| 1991 | $2,075 | +41.8% |
| 1992 | $2,979 | +43.6% |
| 1993 | $7,418 | +149.0% |
| 1994 | $8,707 | +17.4% |
| 1995 | $8,433 | -3.2% |
| 1996 | $9,021 | +7.0% |
| 1997 | $12,146 | +34.6% |
| 1998 | $26,313 | +116.6% |
| 1999 | $30,779 | +17.0% |
| 2000 | $22,988 | -25.3% |
| 2001 | $48,069 | +109.1% |
| 2002 | $38,913 | -19.0% |
| 2003 | $57,609 | +48.0% |
| 2004 | $60,057 | +4.2% |
| 2005 | $69,746 | +16.1% |
| 2006 | $65,531 | -6.0% |
| 2007 | $48,000 | -26.8% |
| 2008 | $46,415 | -3.3% |
| 2009 | $51,328 | +10.6% |
| 2010 | $56,033 | +9.2% |
| 2011 | $57,931 | +3.4% |
| 2012 | $82,785 | +42.9% |
| 2013 | $117,394 | +41.8% |
| 2014 | $165,764 | +41.2% |
| 2015 | $185,913 | +12.2% |
| 2016 | $176,839 | -4.9% |
| 2017 | $235,710 | +33.3% |
| 2018 | $238,579 | +1.2% |
| 2019 | $315,484 | +32.2% |
| 2020 | $430,319 | +36.4% |
| 2021 | $702,899 | +63.3% |
| 2022 | $551,878 | -21.5% |
| 2023 | $629,331 | +14.0% |
| 2024 | $711,191 | +13.0% |
| 2025 | $708,857 | -0.3% |
| 2026 | $656,716 | -7.4% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought LOW was 1981-11 ($0.22): $1,000 then is $1.01M today. The worst was 2026-01 ($264): $1,000 then is $833.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in LOW be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) at the start of 1980 would be worth about $901,639 today, a total return of +90063.9%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for LOW?
Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW)'s strongest calendar year since 1980 was 1982, a +170.9% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $2,709 by year-end. Its weakest year was 1987, at -36.9%.
Does the calculator include dividends and splits?
Yes where available. Prices are adjusted for both stock splits and reinvested dividends (total return), the same measure brokerages use.
How much would $100 per month in LOW have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1980-03 would have grown to about $8.44M on $55,800 invested.
Did LOW beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $75,502. LOW beat the S&P 500 by +1094.2% in total return.
Is this investment advice?
No. What If I'd Held is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) historical total-return data from 1980-03 to 2026-08, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.
Returns use adjusted close prices from Yahoo Finance historical data — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends — the same convention used by major brokerages. A "year" scenario invests $1,000 at the prior December's month-end close and values it at the latest available month-end close. Non-USD amounts are converted at historical month-end exchange rates (Yahoo Finance): to USD on the buy date and back to your currency at the latest rate, so the return reflects the currency move as well as the asset.
Month-end resolution means intra-month extremes are not captured in tables; the calculator uses exact trading-day closes where daily data is available. Figures ignore taxes, fees, and the currency effects of non-USD listings. History is not a forecast. What If I'd Held is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.