The company I chose to research for my final article is Home Depot. Key information about Home Depot's assets, debt and inventory as of January 30, 2001 is as follows: (amounts in millions, excluding stock) Principal Assets Merchandise Inventory – 10,625 Property and Equipment – ​​25,060 Debt Long-Term Debt – 8,707 Other Long-Term Liabilities – 2,135 Shares – Common Stock, $0.05 Par Value, Authorized: 10 Billion SharedIssued – 1.722 Billion SharesExceptional – 1.623 Billion SharesHome Depot started in 1978 as a one-stop shop for do-it-yourselfers . As the fastest-growing retailer in U.S. history, Home Depot went public on the NASDAQ in 1981 and moved to the New York Stock Exchange in 1984. By 1989, Home Depot had opened its 100th store. In 1994, Home Depot moved to Canada with the acquisition of Aikenhead's, and in 2001 it moved to Mexico with the acquisition of Total Home. Home Depot acquired The Home Way in China in 2006. Home Depot's slogan is “More Savings. More Doing.”, promotes Home Depot's marketing strategy with greater appeal to customers with less money to spend. Home Depot carries major brands, but also offers exclusive, proprietary Home Depot brands that save customers money. Home Depot carries major brands such as Dewalt, Hampton Bay, Homelite and Martha Stewart Living. They also carry proprietary brands such as Ryobi, Rigid, Behr, LG and Toro. Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) Home Depot Lowes Ratio Comments Liquidity Home Depot and Lowe's have very similar numbers all the way through Current Ratio 1.33 1.40 Lowes Has a Slightly Better Current Ratio Ratio acid-test 0.16 0.16 Both have enough current assets to satisfy current liabilitiesCapital Structure and Solvency Both companies... middle of the paper... for Home Depots earnings, with the overall numbers so close that Lowes would probably be a better choice to invest in. But in reality both companies are probably not a bad investment. After researching Home Depot's financials, I would invest money in Home Depot by purchasing stock. In my research there was a lot of talk about how popular DIY is and how many people prefer the DIY aspect. While I'm sure Home Depot's numbers were better, before the recession, I don't see Home Depot collapsing anytime soon. I think it's a stable company that will be in business for many years to come. Works Cited The Home Depot. (2011). Home Depot financial information. [Data File]. Retrieved from https://corporate.homedepot.com/Lowes. (2011). Lowes financial information. [Data File]. Retrieved from http://investor.shareholder.com/lowes/