lowes said wednesday that it expects americans appetite for home improvement to continue into 2022 though it may cool after a boom in doityourself and decorating projects during the pandemic shares were down nearly 4 in premarket trading the home improvement retailer said it expects total sales to range from 94 billion to 97 billion in the upcoming fiscal year including an extra week it said diluted earnings per share will range between 1225 and 1300 it anticipates samestore sales will could drop by as much as 3 or be roughly flat with this year it shared the forecast ahead of an analyst meeting on wednesday morning lowes sales have gotten a lift from americans who fixed up their yards tackled diy projects and redecorated rooms during the pandemic even as some of those nesting trends recede however its sales have been buoyed by the strong real estate market the company beat analysts expectations in the thirdquarter as it saw more online sales and purchases by home professionals samestore sales which track sales online and at lowes stores open for at least 12 months rose by 22 in the threemonth period thats on top of 301 growth in the yearago period as of tuesdays close lowes shares are up 57 this year shares closed tuesday at 25246 down 186 the companys market value is 17010 billion this story is developing please check back for updates