Lowe's is under tremendous pressure from activist investors like DE Shaw and Bill Ackman to improve performance and narrow the gap with HD. They have managed to gain seats on the Board of Directors, force Niblock to retire and bring in Ellison. Since then, we have seen the closing of Orchard, the "51 underperformers" in Canada and the US, and exiting operations in Mexico. Right now, Lowe's is a slave to Wall Street and must take the actions necessary to improve performance. If these moves don't move the needle, more cuts will be necessary.
Lowe's may need to be sold and taken private in order to gain the breathing room (outside of Wall Street scrutiny) to address many of the marketing, logistical, and operational challenges facing the company.
However, before we get there, I believe more US stores will close.