MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Lowe’s second-quarter net income rose 26 percent, buoyed by the housing market’s ongoing recovery.

The second-largest home-improvement chain’s results beat Wall Street expectations. It also raised its full-year earnings and revenue forecasts Wednesday.

The strong performance comes a day after rival Home Depot Inc.’s results also topped analysts’ estimates.

The housing market has continued to improve. Friday, the Commerce Department said that builders began work on houses and apartments at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 896,000 in July. That was up 6 percent from June.

And on Thursday the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index reported that confidence among U.S. homebuilders is at its highest level in nearly eight years.