HD vs LULU Stock Comparison

The Home Depot, Inc. vs Lululemon Athletica Inc.

Data as of Sep 2, 2026· market close· Consumer Cyclical· Coverage 54/66 fields· Moderate confidence
AIQ VerdictCompetitiveAIQ Comparison Conviction 7/10

LULU leads

LULU leads by 23 AIQ points, primarily on Momentum and Value, and the lead has widened from 16 points over 30 sessions. Wall Street currently favors HD on target upside.

Competitive: 2 of 6 evidence groups support LULU, and its lead is widening.

Evidence agreement: 2 of 6Comparison trend: Strengthening
HD

The Home Depot, Inc.

AIQ Score
41/100
AIQ Edge Score
3/10
LULU

Lululemon Athletica Inc.

Leads
AIQ Score
64/100
AIQ Edge Score
10/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors LULU over HD, 64 versus 41 as of Sep 2, 2026. LULU's advantage is driven primarily by stronger momentum and value. LULU also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors HD. 2 of 6 covered evidence groups favor LULU today, and the comparison is rated Competitive on stability: only 2 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. LULU lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 16 to 23 points over 30 sessions.

Compare The Home Depot, Inc. and Lululemon Athletica Inc. across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.

AIQ Factor Divergence

Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.

HD advantage
0
LULU advantage
  • Momentum25%19 vs 48
    LULU +29
  • Value30%36 vs 63
    LULU +27
  • Quality30%55 vs 80
    LULU +25
  • Risk Resilience15%58 vs 59
    Even

2 of 6 evidence groups favor LULU. LULU’s edge is concentrated in momentum and value.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-09-01, compared against the prior scored session 2026-08-31.

HD0 AIQ

No factor moved materially.

No new signals fired.

LULU0 AIQ

No factor moved materially.

No new signals fired.

LULU's lead was unchanged in the latest snapshot.

Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — HD and LULU both carry a full feed there.

The central trade-off

LULU (Lululemon Athletica Inc.): the stronger current systematic profile, led by momentum and value.

HD (The Home Depot, Inc.): the counter-case, on fundamentals, technicals, analyst expectations.

The AIQ Score and Wall Street therefore point in different directions on this pair.

Which one fits your objective

The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.

Balanced

LULU

LULU on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value at 30% each.

Growth

HD

HD on combined revenue and EPS growth.

Value

LULU

LULU on the peer-relative Value factor, by 27 points.

Momentum

LULU

LULU on the Momentum factor, by 29 points.

Lower downside

HD

HD carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility.

Analyst upside

HD

HD on implied upside to the consensus price target.

AIQ vs Wall Street

The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors LULU, analyst targets favor HD. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.

MeasureHDLULUNote
Implied upside to target+16%+3.5%HD has more room
Target dispersion+28.3%+129.2%Lower is tighter analyst agreement
ConsensusBuyHoldContext, not a primary driver
Analysts covering1311Higher coverage generally improves confidence

The two are measuring different things. The AIQ Score reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; analyst targets price forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something already priced in — it is worth resolving before acting on either.

Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

AIQ Agreement Matrix

2 of 6 covered evidence groups favor LULU. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreLULU41 vs 64
FundamentalsHDon balancerevenue growth 9.3% vs -32.1%; EPS growth 27.8% vs -66%; ROE 113.3% vs 31.3%; gross margin 33.1% vs 55.7%; operating margin 12.4% vs 18.2% — HD takes 3 of 5 decided legs, not all of them
ValuationLULUValue 36 vs 63
TechnicalsHDPrice vs 50-day -5.9% vs 2.7%; vs 200-day -4.9% vs -21.8%
Risk ResilienceEvenRisk Resilience 58 vs 59
Analyst expectationsHDTarget upside 16% vs 3.5%

✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of HD and LULU and are excluded from the count.

AIQ Decision Stability

Competitive

The two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.

  • The AIQ gap is wide at 23 points. (supports the conclusion holding)
  • Only 2 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • The leader's advantage has been widening. (supports the conclusion holding)
  • Analyst targets on the leader are widely dispersed. (argues the conclusion is provisional)

Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on LULU.

How the comparison changed

120 daily snapshots · Apr 20 Sep 1

LULU lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 16 to 23 points over 30 sessions.

Apr 20HD leads above the line · LULU leads belowSep 1
Today
LULU +23
41 vs 64
7 sessions ago
LULU +17
41 vs 58
30 sessions ago
LULU +16
55 vs 71
90 sessions ago
LULU +6
56 vs 62

The lead has not changed hands in this window.

AIQ Signal Divergence

Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.

HDConflicted

1 bullish / 3 bearish, conflicted

  • Death Cross Active bearish, trend, long horizon (1.31%)
  • RSI Oversold - Potential Bounce bullish, momentum, short horizon
  • Downtrend Structure Active bearish, trend, long horizon
LULU

0 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral

  • Death Cross Active bearish, trend, long horizon (30.40%)
  • ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode neutral, volatility, short horizon (3.71%)
  • MACD Bearish Crossover bearish, momentum, short horizon

HD is conflicted, so the timing case there is weaker than the score alone suggests.

Price vs model alignment

Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.

HDNo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +0.13%, AIQ 0 points).

LULUNo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +2.67%, AIQ 0 points).

What would flip this result

A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.

  1. 1HD closes the Momentum gap — currently 29 points behind, the largest single contributor to LULU's edge.
  2. 2HD's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
  3. 3LULU starts generating bearish momentum or trend signals.
  4. 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — the composite weights Quality and Value at 30% each, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.

The full evidence

Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.

Fundamentals

HD leads on balance
MetricHDLULU
Revenue growth (YoY)9.3%-32.1%
EPS growth (YoY)27.8%-66%
Gross margin33.1%55.7%
Operating margin12.4%18.2%
Return on equity113.3%31.3%
Debt to equity4.180.44

Technicals

HD has the stronger structure
MetricHDLULU
RSI (14)23.543.1
ADX (14)10.810.4
Price vs 50-day-5.9%2.7%
Price vs 200-day-4.9%-21.8%
Volatility (1M, annualized)23.8%40.6%

Risk

Split
MetricHDLULU
Beta0.71.23
Sharpe ratio-0.89-1.03
Sortino ratio-1.53-1.26
Max drawdown-29.7%-51.2%
Current drawdown-22.6%-44.3%
Annualized volatility25.3%45.4%
Value at risk (95%)-2.4%-4.2%

Straight answers

Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.

Which is better, HD or LULU?

On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, LULU is the stronger of the two as of Sep 2, 2026, scoring 64 against HD's 41. The edge comes from momentum and value. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.

Is HD or LULU the better buy right now?

LULU carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 2, 2026, and the comparison is rated Competitive — 2 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Competitive rating means the two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.

Why does the AIQ Score favor LULU over HD?

The composite weights Quality at 30%, Value at 30%, Momentum at 25% and Risk Resilience at 15%. LULU leads Momentum by 29 points; LULU leads Value by 27 points; LULU leads Quality by 25 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.

Which has more analyst upside, HD or LULU?

Analyst price targets imply +16% upside for HD and +3.5% for LULU, so the Street currently favors HD. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors LULU. The two are measuring different things: the model reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; the Street is pricing forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something the analysts have already priced — it is the single most useful row on this page to investigate. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

Which is better value, HD or LULU?

LULU is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. LULU on the peer-relative Value factor, by 27 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.

Which has stronger growth, HD or LULU?

HD on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.

Which has stronger momentum, HD or LULU?

LULU on the Momentum factor, by 29 points. Momentum carries 25% of the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.

Which is riskier, HD or LULU?

HD is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. HD carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility. The Risk Resilience factor weights 15% of the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.

Is HD more profitable than LULU?

The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 33.1% vs 55.7%; operating margin 12.4% vs 18.2%; roe 113.3% vs 31.3%. HD leads on one measure and LULU on two measures, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.

Is LULU's lead over HD getting stronger or weaker?

LULU lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 16 to 23 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-04-20 and 2026-09-01. The lead has not changed hands in that window.

What would change the HD vs LULU verdict?

The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: HD closes the Momentum gap — currently 29 points behind, the largest single contributor to LULU's edge; HD's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; LULU starts generating bearish momentum or trend signals; a regime shift changes factor weighting — the composite weights Quality and Value at 30% each, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.

What do the current signals say about HD and LULU?

HD: 1 bullish / 3 bearish, conflicted. LULU: 0 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on HD is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On LULU it is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon).

Compare HD and LULU with others

How this comparison is scored

The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality (30%), Value (30%), Momentum (25%) and Risk (15%). Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.

The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.

How to use side-by-side comparison →

This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.