Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) reported its fiscal second-quarter financial results before the markets opened on Tuesday. Results were more or less in line with estimates and the investor response was par for the course. In terms of finding significance in this report, we may have to wait until analysts start to weigh in on the stock before we expect to see more movement one way or the other.
The company said that it had $1.97 in earnings per share (EPS) on $26.5 billion in revenue. The consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters called for $1.97 in EPS on revenue of $26.48 billion. Home Depot posted EPS of $1.73 and $24.83 billion in revenue in the same period of last year.
Comparable store sales for the most recent quarter were up 4.7%, and comp sales for U.S. stores were positive 5.4%.
Home Depot reaffirmed its fiscal 2016 sales guidance and expects sales will rise by roughly 6.3% and comp sales will be up about 4.9%. However, on the bottom line, the company raised its diluted EPS guidance for the year and now expects diluted EPS to grow by 15.6% from fiscal 2015 to $6.31. The consensus estimates call for $6.31 in EPS on $94.3 billion in revenue for the fiscal year.
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Craig Menear, board chair, chief executive and president, commented:
We had a solid quarter, achieving the highest quarterly sales and net earnings results in company history as housing continues to be a tailwind for our business. This was made possible by our hard working associates in their continued dedication to our customers.
On the books, Home Depot’s cash and cash equivalents totaled $4.02 billion at the end of the quarter, versus $4.94 billion in the same period from last year.
Shares of Home Depot closed Monday up 0.4% at $137.06, with a consensus analyst price target of $148.20 and a 52-week trading range of $92.17 to $139.00. Following the release of the earnings report, the stock was up 0.6% at $137.85 in early trading indications on Tuesday.
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