Home Depot(US:HD) INDUSTRIAL SECURITIES·2024-11-17 03:52Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the company [2][9]. Core Insights - Demand recovery is expected following the stabilization of loan rates, leading to an upward revision of the full-year guidance [2][9]. - In Q3 2024, the company's total sales reached $40.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 6.6%, primarily due to the acquisition of SRS and an additional 53rd week of operations [5][7]. - Comparable sales decreased by 1.3% year-on-year, with October showing a positive growth of 1%, attributed to hurricane-related demand [5][7]. - The company anticipates total sales growth of approximately 4% for 2024, up from a previous guidance of 2.5%-3.5% [9]. Summary by Sections Market Data - Closing price: $405.72 - Total shares outstanding: 993 million - Total market capitalization: $403 billion - Total assets: $97.3 billion - Net assets attributable to shareholders: $5.79 billion [3]. Financial Performance - Q3 2024 gross margin was approximately 33.4%, a decline of about 40 basis points year-on-year [8]. - Operating profit margin for Q3 2024 was 13.5%, down 0.8 percentage points year-on-year [8]. - Net profit for Q3 2024 was $3.6 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 4.3% [8]. - Inventory at the end of Q3 2024 was $23.9 billion, an increase of $1.1 billion year-on-year, with an inventory turnover rate of 4.8 times, up from 4.3 times in Q3 2023 [8]. Future Guidance - The company expects comparable sales to decline by approximately 2.5% in 2024, an improvement from the previous guidance of a 3%-4% decline [9]. - Projected revenues for 2024-2026 are $158.2 billion, $163.6 billion, and $171.1 billion, with year-on-year growth rates of +3.7%, +3.4%, and +4.6% respectively [9]. - Projected net profits for the same period are $14.9 billion, $15.4 billion, and $16.7 billion, with year-on-year changes of -1.9%, +3.8%, and +8.0% respectively [9].