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Home Depot (HD) Q2 Earnings Beat, Stock Dips on Moderate Comps

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The Home Depot, Inc. (HD - Free Report) has posted second-quarter fiscal 2021 results, wherein earnings and sales beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate and improved year over year. The company gained from the continued strong demand for home-improvement projects, robust housing market trends, and ongoing investments.

Shares of the home-improvement retailer dipped 3.6% in the pre-market session despite the better-than-expected second-quarter fiscal 2021 results. The negative sentiment can be attributed to soft U.S. comparable store sales (comps) in the fiscal second quarter due to the reduced demand for DIY projects as consumers moved out of their homes, leaving some of the pandemic-induced habits.

 

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

 

The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has risen 5.7% in the past three months compared with the industry’s growth of 3.1%.

Q2 Highlights

The company’s earnings of $4.53 per share improved 12.7% from $4.02 registered in the year-ago quarter. The bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.43.

Net sales advanced 8.1% to $41,118 million from $38,053 million in the year-ago quarter and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $40,714 million. Sales benefited from the continued robust demand for home-improvement projects. The company is effectively adapting to the high-demand environment, driven by investments in its business over the years and the dedication of its associates to serve customers.

The Home Depot, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

 

The Home Depot, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

The Home Depot, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | The Home Depot, Inc. Quote

Its overall comps grew 4.5%, with a 3.4% improvement in the United States. Softer-than-anticipated comps can be attributed to the lapping of the high demand environment for home-improvement projects in the year-ago quarter, particularly DIY projects, due to the pandemic. U.S. comps rose 25% in the year-ago quarter.

In the reported quarter, comps were aided by an 11.3% rise in average ticket, offset by a 5.8% decline in customer transactions. Sales per square foot rose 5.3%.

In dollar terms, gross profit increased 5.6% to $13,665 million from $12,941 million in the year-ago quarter, primarily driven by robust sales growth. Meanwhile, gross profit margin contracted 80 basis points (bps) to 33.2% from 34% in the year-ago quarter.

Operating income increased 9.4% to $6,639 million, while operating margin expanded 20 bps to 16.1%. Operating margin benefited from top-line growth, offset by gross margin contraction as well as higher SG&A and other operating expenses.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

Home Depot ended second-quarter fiscal 2021 with cash and cash equivalents of $4,566 million, long-term debt (excluding current maturities) of $33,746 million, and shareholders' equity of $2,069 million. In the first six months of fiscal 2021, the company generated $9,947 million of net cash from operations.

In the first six months of fiscal 2021, it paid out cash dividends of $3,526 million and repurchased shares worth $6,905 million.

3 Better-Ranked Retail Stocks

Tecnoglass Inc. (TGLS - Free Report) has a long-term earnings growth rate of 20% and sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Walmart Inc. (WMT - Free Report) , a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock, has a long-term earnings growth rate of 5.5%.

The Kroger Co. (KR - Free Report) has a long-term earnings growth rate of 8.5%. It presently carries a Zacks Rank #2.

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