( NYSE : LOW ) , the world 's second largest home improvement retailer , today reported net earnings of $ 759 million for the quarter ended July 31 , 2009 , a 19.1 percent decline from the same period a year ago . Diluted earnings per share declined 19.0 percent to $ 0.51 from $ 0.63 in the second quarter of 2008 . For the six months ended July 31 , 2009 , net earnings declined 20.1 percent to $ 1.23 billion while diluted earnings per share declined 19.2 percent to $ 0.84 .