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Side-by-side financial comparison of HSBC HOLDINGS PLC (HSBC) and Lowe's (LOW). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

HSBC HOLDINGS PLC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($28.6B vs $20.8B, roughly 1.4× Lowe's). HSBC HOLDINGS PLC runs the higher net margin — 25.7% vs 7.8%, a 17.9% gap on every dollar of revenue. HSBC HOLDINGS PLC produced more free cash flow last quarter ($64.0B vs $90.0M).

HSBC Holdings plc is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business links to East Asia and a multinational footprint. It is the largest Europe-based bank by total assets, ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$3.098 trillion as of September 2024. This also puts it as the 7th largest bank in the world by total assets behind Bank of America, and the 3rd largest non-state owned bank in the world.

Lowe's Companies, Inc. is an American retail company specializing in home improvement. Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, the company operates a chain of retail stores in the United States. As of October 28, 2022, Lowe's and its related businesses operated 2,181 home improvement and hardware stores in North America.

HSBC vs LOW — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
HSBC
HSBC
1.4× larger
HSBC
$28.6B
$20.8B
LOW
Higher net margin
HSBC
HSBC
17.9% more per $
HSBC
25.7%
7.8%
LOW
More free cash flow
HSBC
HSBC
$63.9B more FCF
HSBC
$64.0B
$90.0M
LOW

Income Statement — Q4 FY2024 vs Q3 FY2026

Metric
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Revenue
$28.6B
$20.8B
Net Profit
$7.3B
$1.6B
Gross Margin
34.2%
Operating Margin
33.1%
11.9%
Net Margin
25.7%
7.8%
Revenue YoY
3.2%
Net Profit YoY
-4.7%
EPS (diluted)
$0.36
$2.88

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Q4 25
$20.8B
Q2 25
$20.9B
Q1 25
$28.6B
Q4 24
$20.2B
Q3 24
$23.6B
Q2 24
$21.4B
Q1 24
$18.6B
Q4 23
$20.5B
Net Profit
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Q4 25
$1.6B
Q2 25
$1.6B
Q1 25
$7.3B
Q4 24
$1.7B
Q3 24
$2.4B
Q2 24
$1.8B
Q1 24
$1.0B
Q4 23
$1.8B
Gross Margin
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Q4 25
34.2%
Q2 25
33.4%
Q1 25
Q4 24
33.7%
Q3 24
33.5%
Q2 24
33.2%
Q1 24
32.4%
Q4 23
33.7%
Operating Margin
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Q4 25
11.9%
Q2 25
11.9%
Q1 25
33.1%
Q4 24
12.6%
Q3 24
14.6%
Q2 24
12.4%
Q1 24
9.1%
Q4 23
13.2%
Net Margin
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Q4 25
7.8%
Q2 25
7.8%
Q1 25
25.7%
Q4 24
8.4%
Q3 24
10.1%
Q2 24
8.2%
Q1 24
5.5%
Q4 23
8.7%
EPS (diluted)
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Q4 25
$2.88
Q2 25
$2.92
Q1 25
$0.36
Q4 24
$2.99
Q3 24
$4.17
Q2 24
$3.06
Q1 24
$1.81
Q4 23
$3.06

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$434.9B
$1.0B
Total DebtLower is stronger
$37.5B
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$192.3B
$-10.4B
Total Assets
$3017.0B
$53.5B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Q4 25
$1.0B
Q2 25
$3.4B
Q1 25
$434.9B
Q4 24
$3.6B
Q3 24
$4.7B
Q2 24
$3.5B
Q1 24
$1.2B
Q4 23
$1.5B
Total Debt
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Q4 25
$37.5B
Q2 25
$30.5B
Q1 25
Q4 24
$32.9B
Q3 24
$34.7B
Q2 24
$34.6B
Q1 24
$35.4B
Q4 23
$35.4B
Stockholders' Equity
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Q4 25
$-10.4B
Q2 25
$-13.3B
Q1 25
$192.3B
Q4 24
$-13.4B
Q3 24
$-13.8B
Q2 24
$-14.6B
Q1 24
$-15.1B
Q4 23
$-15.1B
Total Assets
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Q4 25
$53.5B
Q2 25
$45.4B
Q1 25
$3017.0B
Q4 24
$44.7B
Q3 24
$44.9B
Q2 24
$45.4B
Q1 24
$41.8B
Q4 23
$42.5B

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$65.3B
$687.0M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$64.0B
$90.0M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
223.9%
0.4%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
4.7%
2.9%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
8.90×
0.43×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$6.4B

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Q4 25
$687.0M
Q2 25
$3.4B
Q1 25
$65.3B
Q4 24
$1.3B
Q3 24
$3.2B
Q2 24
$4.3B
Q1 24
$1.1B
Q4 23
$1.1B
Free Cash Flow
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Q4 25
$90.0M
Q2 25
$2.9B
Q1 25
$64.0B
Q4 24
$728.0M
Q3 24
$2.7B
Q2 24
$3.9B
Q1 24
$488.0M
Q4 23
$485.0M
FCF Margin
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Q4 25
0.4%
Q2 25
13.7%
Q1 25
223.9%
Q4 24
3.6%
Q3 24
11.6%
Q2 24
18.2%
Q1 24
2.6%
Q4 23
2.4%
Capex Intensity
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Q4 25
2.9%
Q2 25
2.5%
Q1 25
4.7%
Q4 24
2.8%
Q3 24
1.8%
Q2 24
1.8%
Q1 24
3.3%
Q4 23
2.8%
Cash Conversion
HSBC
HSBC
LOW
LOW
Q4 25
0.43×
Q2 25
2.06×
Q1 25
8.90×
Q4 24
0.77×
Q3 24
1.32×
Q2 24
2.43×
Q1 24
1.09×
Q4 23
0.60×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

HSBC
HSBC

Segment breakdown not available.

LOW
LOW

Home Decor$7.8B37%
Building Products$6.9B33%
Hardlines$5.1B25%
Services$753.0M4%
Other$384.0M2%

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