MOORESVILLE, NC - Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW), the world's second largest home improvement retailer, reported net earnings of $832 million for the quarter ended July 30, 2010, a 9.6 percent increase from the same period a year ago. Sales for the quarter increased 3.7 percent to $14.4 billion, up from $13.8 billion in the second quarter of 2009. #Lowe's says it expects to open 40 to 45 stores in 2010 reflecting total square footage growth of  approximately 2 percent, with Lowe's projecting total sales expected to increase approximately 4 percent.>>