Bad weather is usually good business for companies that help people repair and rebuild. On the flip side, sales can suffer when the skies remain clear. So it was for Home Depot, which said Tuesday that October's better-than-expected weather meant fewer shoppers came into its stores to spend in the third quarter."Our results were below our expectation, largely due to a lack of storms relative to historic norms," the retailer's head of merchandising, Billy Bastek, said on the third-quarter earnings call. An ...

Core Insights - Home Depot reported better sales but lower profits than expected, leading to a 3% decline in stock price and approximately 11% year-to-date losses [1][4] - The company cited a sluggish housing market and lack of storms as key factors impacting demand for home improvement products [2][7] Financial Performance - Adjusted earnings per share for the third quarter were $3.74, down 4 cents year-over-year, and below analyst expectations, while revenue was $41.35 billion, exceeding estimates [1][4] - Comparable store sales increased by only 0.2%, falling short of the anticipated 1.4% growth [1] Future Outlook - Home Depot raised its full-year sales growth forecast to approximately 3%, up from 2.8%, with expectations of $2 billion in sales from the recently acquired distributor GMS [4] - The company now anticipates adjusted earnings per share to decline by about 5% year-over-year, a revision from the previously expected 3% drop, due to ongoing consumer uncertainty and housing market pressures [4] Market Implications - As the largest home improvement retailer, Home Depot's results may indicate broader trends in the housing market and shifts in demand for home improvement projects [3] - Analysts from JPMorgan noted that Home Depot's performance could suggest potential challenges for rival Lowe's in its upcoming earnings report [5]

U.S. stocks fell sharply Tuesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 584 points, or 1.3%, and the S&P 500 slid 1.1%, marking its fourth straight losing day—the longest streak since August. The Nasdaq Composite, loaded with tech giants, fell 1.7%, dragged down by a mix of profit-taking, high Nvidia, the AI chip leader, dropped 2%, continuing a 10% monthly slide ahead of its third-quarter earnings report due Wednesday. Amazon and Microsoft also lost ground despite the announcement of a major AI partn ...

Market Overview - US stock futures are extending losses for the fourth consecutive day due to concerns over stock valuations and interest rate uncertainty, with the S&P 500 and NASDAQ closing below their 50-day moving averages, indicating potential further weakness ahead [1][5][10] - Bitcoin has dipped below $90,000 for the first time in seven months, erasing all gains for the year, which has negatively impacted Bitcoin ETFs and related stocks [2][19] Home Depot - Home Depot has cut its full-year profit forecast and missed earnings expectations for the third straight quarter, now expecting full-year sales to rise about 3% and comparable sales to be slightly positive [2][3][20] - The company attributes the decline to slow consumer spending and a weaker housing market, leading to a significant drop in home improvement demand [19][22] - Home Depot's stock is down over 3.5% in pre-market trading as investors assess the timing of a potential turnaround in housing starts and home improvement demand [20][23] Economic Indicators - Private sector job data from ADP shows a loss of 2,500 jobs for the week ending November 1, indicating volatility in the labor market [26] - Initial jobless claims for mid-October were reported at 232,000, slightly up from the previous week, but still considered healthy for the labor market [28][29] Saudi Arabia and US Relations - Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman is visiting the White House to strengthen defense and economic ties, with expected announcements including a multibillion-dollar investment in AI infrastructure and defense sales [31][32][33] Trending Stocks - Cloudflare experienced an outage affecting major websites, including OpenAI's ChatGPT and Elon Musk's platform X [37] - Microsoft and Amazon were downgraded to neutral by Redburn, citing unclear bull cases for generative AI [38] - Axon, the paint maker, is acquiring Exalta Coding Systems, creating a $17 billion paint giant [40]

Shares of blue chip Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) are off 3.9% to trade at $345.93, after the home improvement chain reported adjusted third-quarter earnings of $3.74 per share, which fell short of estimates. While revenue topped forecasts, Home Depot also slashed its full-year outlook, citing weak demand and less storm damage to homes of late. The report has sector peer Lowe's (LOW) also in the red today.Should these losses hold, HD will be headed for a fifth-straight drop and worst single-session performance s ...

Market Analysis by covering: Home Depot Inc. Read 's Market Analysis on Investing.com ...

inray27 / Shutterstock.com This article will be updated throughout the day, so check back often for more daily updates. The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) lost nearly 1% on Monday, and as Tuesday dawns is continuing to slide, down another 0.4% premarket. Media pundits continue to blame investor worries about an over-heated market, and overpriced AI stocks in particular, citing declines in still-pretty-red-hot names such as Palantir (Nasdaq: PLTR), which reported strong earnings earlier this month, a ...

Home Depot's third-quarter was mixed with fewer violent storms reaching shore, more anxiety among U.S. consumers, and a housing market that is in a deep funk. ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total sales for the third quarter were $41.4 billion, an increase of 2.8% from the same period last year [5][20] - Comp sales increased by 0.2% year-over-year, with U.S. comps up 0.1% [5][20] - Adjusted diluted earnings per share were $3.74, down from $3.78 in the same quarter last year [5][23] - Gross margin was 33.4%, flat compared to the third quarter of 2024 [20] - Operating margin decreased to 12.9% from 13.5% in the same quarter last year [21][24] - Return on invested capital was 26.3%, down from 31.5% in the third quarter of fiscal 2024 [24] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Nine of the 16 merchandising departments posted positive comps, including kitchen, bath, outdoor garden, and appliances [14] - Comp average ticket increased by 1.8%, while comp transactions decreased by 1.6% [14] - Big ticket comp transactions (over $1,000) increased by 2.3% compared to the previous year [14] - Online comp sales increased approximately 11% year-over-year [16] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Comps in Canada and Mexico posted positive results in local currency [5][20] - Comp sales in the U.S. were +0.1% for the quarter, with variations of +2.2% in August, +0.3% in September, and -1.7% in October [20] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on controlling internal factors and believes it is gaining market share [6][7] - The acquisition of GMS is expected to enhance the company's position in the building materials distribution market [7] - The company plans to continue investing in its business, targeting capital expenditures of approximately 2.5% of sales for fiscal 2025 [25] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management revised guidance for fiscal 2025 due to softer-than-expected results and ongoing consumer uncertainty [6][24] - The lack of storm activity has significantly impacted home improvement demand [5][34] - Management noted that housing activity is at 40-year lows, affecting consumer behavior [36] - The company expects total sales growth of approximately 3% for fiscal 2025, with GMS contributing about $2 billion in incremental sales [24][25] Other Important Information - Merchandise inventories were $26.2 billion, up approximately $2.3 billion compared to the third quarter of 2024 [23] - The company opened three new stores, bringing the total store count to 2,356 [23] Q&A Session Summary Question: Impact of GMS on EBIT dollar shortfall - Management explained that the inclusion of GMS and transaction expenses contributed to a 20 basis point impact on operating margin [28][29] Question: Expectations for demand recovery - Management indicated that demand recovery is unlikely without increased housing activity or reduced interest rates [48][50] Question: Average ticket and promotional activity - Management noted that the increase in average ticket was due to customers trading up for innovation, with promotional activity remaining consistent year-over-year [40][41] Question: Margin structure improvement from acquisitions - Management discussed the potential for margin recovery through synergies and cross-selling opportunities between SRS and GMS [74][87] Question: Regional performance and consumer fatigue - Management observed no specific fatigue in upper-income customers but noted a softening in larger project backlogs [85] Question: Cross-selling opportunities post-GMS integration - Management highlighted successful account handoffs and cross-selling between Home Depot and GMS, indicating strong collaboration [91]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total sales for the third quarter were $41.4 billion, an increase of 2.8% year-over-year [5][20] - Comparable sales increased by 0.2%, with U.S. comps up 0.1% [5][20] - Adjusted diluted earnings per share were $3.74, down from $3.78 in the same quarter last year [5][23] - Gross margin was 33.4%, flat compared to the previous year [20] - Operating margin decreased to 12.9% from 13.5% year-over-year [21][24] - Return on invested capital was 26.3%, down from 31.5% [24] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Nine out of 16 merchandising departments posted positive comps, including kitchen, bath, and outdoor garden [14] - Comp average ticket increased by 1.8%, while comp transactions decreased by 1.6% [14] - Big ticket comp transactions (over $1,000) were positive at 2.3% [14] - Online comp sales increased approximately 11% year-over-year [16] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Comps in Canada and Mexico were positive in local currency [5][20] - Comp sales progression showed positive results in August (2%), September (0.5%), but negative in October (-1.5%) [20] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on controlling operational aspects and believes it is gaining market share [6][7] - The acquisition of GMS enhances the company's position as a multi-category building materials distributor [7] - The company plans to continue investing in business initiatives and customer experience [8][19] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management revised guidance for fiscal 2025 due to softer-than-expected results and ongoing consumer uncertainty [6][24] - The lack of storm activity has significantly impacted home improvement demand [5][34] - Management expects total sales growth of approximately 3% for fiscal 2025, with GMS contributing about $2 billion [24] Other Important Information - The company opened three new stores, bringing the total to 2,356 [23] - Merchandise inventories were $26.2 billion, up approximately $2.3 billion year-over-year [23] Q&A Session Summary Question: Impact of GMS on EBIT shortfall - Management explained that the inclusion of GMS and transaction expenses contributed to a 20 basis point impact on operating margin [28][29] Question: Consumer demand recovery without housing activity - Management indicated that ongoing consumer uncertainty and housing pressure are affecting home improvement demand [34][50] Question: Average ticket and promotional activity - Management noted that the increase in average ticket was due to customers trading up for innovative products, with promotional activity remaining consistent year-over-year [40][41] Question: Margin structure improvement from acquisitions - Management discussed the potential for margin recovery through synergies and cross-selling opportunities between SRS and GMS [74][87] Question: Regional differences in consumer behavior - Management observed that storm and weather patterns were the most significant regional differences, with no specific fatigue noted in the upper-income customer base [85]