Home Depot gains from U.S. housing strength, profit and sales beat
Reuters
Published Nov 15, 2016 09:23AM ET
Home Depot gains from U.S. housing strength, profit and sales beat
(Reuters) - Home Depot Inc (N:HD), the No. 1 U.S. home improvement chain, reported third-quarter profit and sales that beat analysts' estimates as people spent more on their homes, encouraged by the improving housing market in the United States.
The company, which also raised its full-year earnings forecast, is benefiting from higher wages and as rising home values as well as tightening for-sale inventories in many markets spur remodeling activity by homeowners.
Home Depot's shares were up 0.7 percent at $128.50 in premarket trading on Tuesday.
The U.S. Commerce Department said on Tuesday retail sales increased 0.8 percent in October, boosted partly by demand for building materials, likely as households cleaned up and made repairs in the wake of Hurricane Matthew.
Housing data for September had also suggested that overall residential construction may rise again in the current quarter.
The improving trends in the housing market has helped Home Depot and smaller rival Lowe's Cos Inc (N:LOW) buck the weak sales trend at department store operators and other retailers in the past few quarters.
Home Depot said the number of customer transactions rose 2.4 percent in the third quarter ended Oct. 30. Customers also spent 3 percent more on average per transaction, which was the strongest in two years, according to Jefferies' analysts.
"Strong ticket growth ... seems to imply continued strength in big ticket and larger projects, as well as progress with its own Pro related initiatives," Credit Suisse (SIX:CSGN) analyst Seth Sigman wrote in a client note.
Home Depot's sales at its established stores rose 5.5 percent in the quarter, more than the 4.4 percent increase expected by analysts polled by research firm Consensus Metrix.
Net sales increase 6.1 percent to $23.15 billion. Net earnings rose 14.1 percent to $1.97 billion, or $1.60 per share.
Analysts on average had expected a profit of $1.58 per share on sales of $23.04 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Home Depot now expects adjusted earnings of $6.33 per share in the year ending January 2017, higher than its previous forecast of $6.31, but in line with analysts' estimates.
The company said it still expects full-year net sales to rise about 6.3 percent and comparable sales to increase about 4.9 percent.
Analysts expect Home Depot's net sales to increase 6.4 percent.
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Home Depot's shares had fallen 3.5 percent this year through Monday, less than the near 8-percent fall in Lowe's, but underperforming the 1.9 percent increase in the S&P consumer discretionary index (SPLRCD).
Written By: Reuters
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