May 21 (Reuters) - Lowe's Cos reported a lower-than-expected drop in quarterly sales on Tuesday, helped by more small-scale repairs undertaken by inflation-hit Americans, who have otherwise cut back on big-ticket discretionary home improvement projects.

Same-store sales at the company fell 4.1% in the first quarter, compared with analysts' average estimate of a 5.65% decline, according to LSEG data.

The home improvement chain reaffirmed its annual sales and profit target for the fiscal year.

(Reporting by Granth Vanaik in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)