Will they or won't they? That's the question on investors' and shoppers' minds alike as retailers start outlining their strategies to deal with tariffs. Walmart said last week that it would need to raise some prices, but it provided a broad outline of how it would seek to minimize the price hikes through redistributing its import bases, reworking packaging, and other actions.Home Depot (HD -1.30%), on the other hand, told investors during its first-quarter earnings report that it wouldn't raise prices. That ...

ATLANTA, May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Home Depot®, the world's largest home improvement retailer, today announced that its board of directors declared a first-quarter cash dividend of $2.30 per share. The dividend is payable on June 18, 2025, to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 5, 2025. This is the 153rd consecutive quarter the company has paid a cash dividend.The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer. At the end of the first quarter, the company op ...

Investment Rating - The investment rating for Home Depot (HD.N) is maintained at "Neutral" [6][20]. Core Views - The company's Q1 2025 performance met expectations, with comparable sales down 0.3% year-over-year. Revenue increased by 9.4% to $39.86 billion, primarily due to the acquisition of SRS, while net profit decreased by 4.6% to $3.43 billion [6]. - The company maintains guidance for a comparable sales growth of approximately 1% for 2025, with plans to open about 13 new stores [6]. - Despite a challenging high-interest-rate environment affecting the housing market, Home Depot's operational data showed improvement, with customer transactions up 2.1% year-over-year [6]. Financial Forecasts - Revenue projections for Home Depot are as follows: - 2024A: $159.514 billion - 2025E: $163.502 billion (growth of 2.5%) - 2026E: $167.099 billion (growth of 2.2%) - 2027E: $175.153 billion (growth of 4.8%) [6][12]. - Net profit forecasts are: - 2024A: $14.806 billion - 2025E: $14.284 billion (decline of 3.5%) - 2026E: $14.855 billion (growth of 4.0%) - 2027E: $15.500 billion (growth of 4.3%) [6][12]. - The projected earnings per share (EPS) are: - 2024A: $14.90 - 2025E: $14.37 - 2026E: $14.95 - 2027E: $15.59 [6][12]. Valuation Metrics - The price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios are projected as follows: - 2024A: 24.89 - 2025E: 25.80 - 2026E: 24.81 - 2027E: 23.78 [6][12]. - The target price for Home Depot is set at $371.89, based on discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis [6].

Core Viewpoint - Home Depot's first-quarter results showed volatility, with mixed performance in comparable sales and earnings, leading to varied analyst ratings and price targets [1][2][4]. Analyst Insights - Stifel upgraded Home Depot's rating from Hold to Buy, raising the price target from $405 to $425, noting a modest headline miss with comparable sales down 0.3% and adjusted earnings of $3.56 per share, below the consensus of $3.59 per share [2]. - Guggenheim Securities reaffirmed a Buy rating with a price target of $450, highlighting a meaningful acceleration in comparable sales trends from 1.3% in March to 1.8% in April [4]. - RBC Capital Markets maintained a Sector Perform rating with a price target of $399, reporting total company comparable sales down 3.6% in February, up 0.6% in March, and up 1.1% in April [6]. Sales Performance - Home Depot's comparable sales accelerated through the quarter, with U.S. comparable sales up nearly 2.5% in April, excluding Easter [3]. - Big ticket transactions (over $1,000) rose for the second consecutive quarter, indicating reduced risk of negative comparable sales in 2025 [5]. - Management indicated that U.S. comparable sales would have been closer to +2.5% in April, adjusting for the Easter timing shift [7]. International Strategy - Home Depot plans to diversify its international sourcing strategy, ensuring that no single country outside the U.S. represents more than 10% of purchases over the next 12 months [7].

Core Insights - The article discusses the analysis of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE: HD) based on its Q3 FY24 report and management commentary [1] Group 1: Company Overview - The Home Depot is a major player in the retail home improvement industry, with significant operations in both the US and Indian equity markets [1] Group 2: Analyst Background - The author has a CFA Charter and a PhD in Finance from the University of Durham, U.K., and holds an Honorary Associate Professor title at Brunel University London [1] - The author engages in quantitative research across various financial domains, including US equities, Behavioral Finance, Corporate Governance, Activist Hedge Funds, Cryptocurrencies, and M&A [1]

The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. The author is not a licensed financial advisor, Certified Public Accountant (CPA), or any other financial professional. The content presented in this article is based on the author's personal opinions, research, and experiences, and it may not be suitable for your specific financial situation or needs. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future res ...

Core Viewpoint - Home Depot's first-quarter fiscal 2025 results showed a decline in earnings but an increase in sales, indicating mixed performance amid ongoing customer engagement and seasonal events [1][2]. Financial Performance - Adjusted earnings per share were $3.56, down 3% from $3.67 in the previous year, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.59 [2]. - Net sales increased by 9.4% to $39.86 billion from $36.42 billion year over year, surpassing the consensus estimate of $39.14 billion [2]. - Comparable sales decreased by 0.3%, with U.S. comparable sales rising by 0.2% [5]. Customer Engagement - Customer transactions improved by 2.1% year over year, while the average ticket remained flat [5]. - The company is optimistic about its initiatives to enhance customer experience and expand market share in the home improvement sector [4]. Cost and Margin Analysis - Gross profit rose by 8.3% year over year to $13.5 billion, but gross margin declined by 30 basis points to 33.8% [6]. - SG&A expenses increased by 12.9% to $7.5 billion, with SG&A as a percentage of sales growing by 60 basis points to 18.9% [7]. Future Outlook - Home Depot anticipates a 2.8% increase in sales and a 1% rise in comparable sales for fiscal 2025 [10]. - The company estimates a gross margin of 33.4% and an operating margin of 13% for fiscal 2025, with GAAP earnings per share expected to decline by 3% year over year [11][12].

Group 1 - Home Depot missed earnings expectations with earnings of $3.56 per share, falling short by $0.03, but reported stronger-than-expected sales of $39.9 billion, exceeding analyst expectations by approximately $600 million and reflecting a year-over-year growth of 9.5% [3][4] - The company is facing challenges due to higher interest rates and macroeconomic uncertainty, which are limiting home sales and improvement projects, thereby softening demand for its products [3][4] - Home Depot reiterated its full-year guidance, projecting total revenue growth of about 2.8% and comparable-store sales growth of 1% [4] Group 2 - The company did not repurchase any shares during the quarter but continues to pay a dividend with a yield of 2.4%, while reducing its share count by over 7% in the past five years [5] - Despite current headwinds, Home Depot's stock is priced only 12% below its all-time high, indicating that investors are aware of the challenges but do not view the stock as a bargain [6][7] - The stock is considered a good option for long-term investors, although those expecting significant gains with economic recovery may be disappointed [6][7]

Market Overview - Pre-market futures are flat following a sixth-straight up-day on the S&P 500, with market sentiment buoyed by positive trade deal expectations [1] - The Dow is up +0.03%, while the S&P 500 is down -0.17%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq has grown nearly +20% recently but is down -0.28% in early trading [2] Economic Indicators - U.S. Leading Economic Indicators (LEI) dropped -1.0% to 99.4 points in April, marking the first time below 100 since September of last year [3] - This decline represents the fifth consecutive drop in LEI, which had previously shown a hopeful turn around the 2024 election [3] Home Depot Earnings - Home Depot reported mixed Q1 results with earnings of $3.56 per share, missing the Zacks consensus by 3 cents, while revenues were $39.86 billion, up +9.4% year over year [5] - Shares of Home Depot are up +2% in pre-market trading, recovering most of year-to-date losses [5] Viking Holdings Earnings - Viking Holdings reported Q1 results with negative earnings of -$0.24 per share, which was 2 cents better than expected, and revenues of $897.06 million, exceeding estimates by +4.49% [6] - Despite outperforming expectations, shares are down -5% in early trading [6] Upcoming Earnings Reports - Palo Alto Networks is expected to report negative -8% earnings growth with revenues projected to increase by +14.67% [7] - Toll Brothers is anticipated to report fiscal Q2 numbers with expected declines of -15.3% on earnings and -11.9% on revenues, although it may achieve its third earnings beat in the last four quarters [8]

Company Overview - Home Depot held its first quarter 2025 earnings conference call, featuring key executives including Ted Decker (Chair, President & CEO), Ann-Marie Campbell (Senior Executive Vice President), Billy Bastek (Executive Vice President of Merchandising), and Richard McPhail (Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer) [3][4]. Conference Call Structure - The call was structured to include prepared remarks followed by a question and answer session, with a reminder for participants to limit their questions to one with one follow-up [4]. - The conference call was recorded for future reference [4]. Forward-Looking Statements - The company included forward-looking statements in its press release and presentations, which are subject to risks and uncertainties as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 [5].