Lowe’s Companies Inc. reported second-quarter earnings below analyst expectations on Wednesday.

The stock price of the do-it-yourself retailer fell nearly 5 percent to $71.46 in early morning trading after the earnings report was released.

The Mooresville-based company reported second quarter net earnings of $1.4 billion, or $1.68 per share, compared to net earnings of $1.2 billion, or $1.31 per share, for the second quarter of 2016.

Adjusted earnings were $1.57 for the second quarter, falling below analyst predictions of $1.61, according to Yahoo Finance.

“While our results were below our expectations in the first half of this year, the team remains focused on making the necessary investments to improve the customer experience and drive sales,” stated Chief Executive Officer Robert A. Niblock.

Sales for the second quarter totaled $19.5 billion, rising 6.8 percent from $18.3 billion in 2016, but fell short of analyst predictions of $19.52 billion.

Despite the booming housing sector, Lowe’s Cos. is still falling short of rival, Home Depot, in sales.

Lowe’s paid $299 million in dividends in the second quarter by repurchasing $1.25 billion of stock in order to return excess cash to its stockholders.

The earnings release can be found here.