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Toll Brothers (TOL) Q4 Earnings & Revenues Beat, Stock Up

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Toll Brothers, Inc. (TOL - Free Report) reported mixed results for fourth-quarter fiscal 2023 (ended Oct 31, 2023), wherein its top and bottom lines surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate but decreased on a year-over-year basis.

In the recent earnings release on Tuesday, chief executive Doug Yearley stated that the company experienced "strong demand" throughout the fiscal fourth quarter. He also mentioned that Toll Brothers is actively striving to maintain lower unit prices in the coming year.

As TOL approaches the onset of the spring selling season in January, the company finds optimism in the recent decline in mortgage rates. Given the historical lows in resale inventories, prospective buyers are increasingly attracted to new homes. Additionally, the anticipation of lower rates coupled with reduced inflation is expected to further bolster the already robust demand.

This, combined with its policy of boosting its supply of spec homes and focus on operational efficiency, has helped TOL deliver solid fiscal 2023 results.

Shares of this leading luxury homebuilder gained 1.9% in the after-hours trading session on Dec 5, following the release. Investors’ sentiment might have gotten a boost from solid net signed contracts for the quarter.

Earnings & Revenue Discussion

This Fort Washington, PA-based homebuilder delivered earnings per share (EPS) of $4.11, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.66 by 12.3% but decreased 12% from the year-ago period. The decrease was due to an approximate $103 million net after-tax benefit related to a litigation settlement in the year-ago quarter.

Total revenues (including Home sales and Land sales and others) came in at $3.02 billion, which beat the consensus mark of $2.78 billion by 8.6% but decreased by 18.6% year over year.

Toll Brothers Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Toll Brothers Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Toll Brothers Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Toll Brothers Inc. Quote

Inside the Headlines

The company’s total home sales revenues declined 17.6% from the prior-year quarter to $2.95 billion. Homes delivered were down 27% year over year to 2,755 units. Deliveries decreased across the company’s geographic regions served by the company. The average price of homes delivered was $1,071,100 for the quarter, up from the year-ago level of $950,700.

Nonetheless, net-signed contracts for the reported quarter were 2,038 units, up 72% year over year. The value of net signed contracts was $2.01 billion, reflecting a rise of 53%.

At the fiscal fourth-quarter end, Toll Brothers had a backlog of 6,578 homes, representing a year-over-year decrease of 19%. Potential revenues from backlog declined by 22% year over year to $6.95 billion. The average price of homes in the backlog totaled $1,055,800, down from $1,095,800 a year ago.

The cancelation rate (as a percentage of signed contracts) for the reported quarter was 10.8% compared with 20.8% in the prior-year period.

Margins

The company’s adjusted home sales gross margin was 29.1%, expanding 10 basis points (bps) for the quarter. SG&A expenses, as a percentage of home sales revenues, were 8.2%, which increased 50 bps from the year-ago quarter.

Fiscal 2023 Highlights

Total revenues were $9.99 billion, down 2.7% from $10.28 billion. Toll Brothers generated $9.9 billion from home sales (up 1.6% year over year), boosting its earnings per share by 13% to $12.36. This growth was fueled by a 120-bps rise in adjusted gross margin to 28.7% and a 90-bps drop in SG&A expenses to 9.2%.

Financials

TOL had cash and cash equivalents of $1,300.1 million at the end of fiscal 2023 compared with $1,346.8 million at the fiscal 2022-end. At October 2023-end, it had $1.79 billion available under the $1.91 billion bank revolving credit facility, scheduled to mature in February 2028.

Total debt at the fiscal 2023-end was $2.86 billion, down from $3.33 billion at the fiscal 2022-end. Debt to capital was 29.6% at the fiscal 2023-end, down from 35.7% at the fiscal 2022-end.

During the year, the company repurchased 7.9 million shares of its common stock at an average price of $72 per share for approximately $565.9 million.

Fiscal First-Quarter Guidance

Toll Brothers expect home deliveries of 1,800-1,900 units (versus 1,826 units delivered in the prior-year quarter) at an average price of $985,000-$1,005,000 (suggesting a rise from $958,300 a year ago).

Adjusted home sales gross margin is expected to be 28%, implying an increase from 27.5% in the year-ago period. SG&A expenses are estimated to be 12.4% of home sales revenues, indicating a rise from 12.1% in the year-ago period. The company expects the effective tax rate to be 26%.

Fiscal 2024 Guidance

For fiscal 2024, home deliveries are anticipated to be in the range of 9,850-10,350 units. The estimated range reflects growth from 9,597 units in fiscal 2023.

The average price of delivered homes is expected to be $940,000-$960,000. The estimated range reflects a decrease from $1,027,900 reported in fiscal 2023.

Toll Brothers expects an adjusted home sales gross margin of 27.9% compared with 28.7% reported in fiscal 2023. SG&A expenses, as a percentage of home sales revenues, are projected to be 9.9% for fiscal 2023. In the year-ago period, the metric was 9.2%. The company expects the effective tax rate to be 26%.

Zacks Rank

Toll Brothers currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

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