Investment Rating - Industry rating: Recommended [5] Core Insights - Home Depot's FY25Q3 net sales reached $41.35 billion, a year-on-year increase of 2.8%, with comparable sales up 0.2% [1][11] - Lowe's FY25Q3 net sales were $20.81 billion, reflecting a 3.0% year-on-year growth, driven by acquisitions [2][13] - Both companies are experiencing stable demand from professional customers, with Home Depot's professional sales up 4.2% and Lowe's online sales up 11.4% [1][2][13] Summary by Sections Home Depot - Financial Data: FY25Q3 net sales of $41.35 billion, with comparable sales up 0.2% and net profit of $3.6 billion, down 1.3% year-on-year [1][11] - Product Sales Performance: 9 out of 16 product categories showed positive growth, with an average transaction value increase of 1.8% and a transaction volume decrease of 1.6% [1][11] - Full Year Outlook: FY25 total sales expected to grow by 3.0%, with GMS business contributing approximately $2 billion in incremental sales [12] Lowe's - Financial Data: FY25Q3 net sales of $20.81 billion, with comparable sales up 0.4% and net profit of $1.6 billion, down 5.7% year-on-year [2][13] - Category Performance: 10 out of 14 product categories achieved same-store sales growth, with strong performance in appliances and tools [2][13] - Full Year Guidance: FY25 total sales forecast raised to $86 billion, with comparable sales expected to remain flat [2][13]

Core Insights - Lowe's Companies, Inc. reported strong third-quarter earnings with adjusted EPS of $3.06, a 5.9% increase year over year, surpassing analyst expectations of $2.97, but sales of $20.813 billion fell short of the anticipated $20.823 billion [1] Financial Performance - The company updated its fiscal 2025 outlook, reducing comparable-sales expectations to 0% from a previous range of 0%–1%, while projecting capital spending of up to $2.5 billion [2] - Lowe's narrowed its fiscal 2025 adjusted EPS guidance to $12.25 from a prior range of $12.20 to $12.45, slightly below the analyst estimate of $12.29, but raised its sales outlook to $86.0 billion from $84.5 billion to $85.5 billion, exceeding expectations of $85.415 billion [3] Stock Performance and Analyst Ratings - Following the earnings announcement, Lowe's shares experienced a slight decline of 0.1%, trading at $228.16 [3] - Analysts have made various adjustments to their price targets for Lowe's, with Bernstein maintaining an Outperform rating and raising the target from $282 to $284, while Telsey Advisory Group lowered its target from $305 to $285, among other adjustments from different analysts [5]

Core Viewpoint - The stock of Techtronic Industries (00669) has seen an increase of over 4%, currently trading at 87.1 HKD with a transaction volume of 199 million HKD, following the release of Home Depot's third-quarter earnings, which reflect trends in the U.S. consumer market [1] Group 1: Company Performance - Home Depot, Techtronic's largest customer, reported third-quarter revenue and net profit that fell short of expectations, leading to a 3% downward revision of its earnings per share guidance for the year to 14.48 USD, below previous forecasts and market predictions [1] - Despite the impact of U.S. tariffs causing a moderate increase in product prices, Techtronic's management noted that sales performance remained healthy in the third quarter [1] Group 2: Market Outlook - Citigroup maintains its forecast for Techtronic Industries, emphasizing that the company's focus on professional sectors, which account for approximately 70% of total sales, positions it well for accelerated growth starting next year [1] - If Home Depot's performance does not meet expectations, leading to a decline in Techtronic's stock price, it is viewed as a potential buying opportunity for investors [1]

Core Viewpoint - Techtronic Industries (00669) shares rose over 4%, currently trading at HKD 87.1 with a transaction volume of HKD 199 million, reflecting positive market sentiment despite mixed performance from its major client, Home Depot [1] Group 1: Company Performance - Techtronic Industries' primary customer, Home Depot, reported third-quarter results that fell short of expectations, leading to a 3% downward revision in its earnings per share guidance for the year to USD 14.48, below previous forecasts and market predictions [1] - Despite the challenges faced by Home Depot, Techtronic Industries' management indicated that their product sales performance remained healthy in the third quarter, even with moderate price increases due to U.S. tariffs [1] Group 2: Market Outlook - Citigroup maintains its forecast for Techtronic Industries, suggesting that the company is expected to accelerate growth starting next year, contingent on Home Depot's performance [1] - If Home Depot's results do not meet expectations, leading to a decline in Techtronic Industries' stock price, this could present a buying opportunity for investors [1]

Core Insights - The company reported a third-quarter revenue of $20.81 billion, which is in line with market expectations of $20.82 billion [1] - Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) were $3.06, exceeding the market average forecast [1] Financial Performance - Revenue: $20.81 billion, approximately matching market expectations [1] - Adjusted EPS: $3.06, surpassing market average estimates [1]

Core Insights - Lowe's reported a year-over-year sales increase for the quarter but slightly lowered its full-year profit outlook due to a challenging economic environment [1][3] - The company expects full-year total sales to reach $86 billion, an increase from previous expectations of $84.5 to $85.5 billion, attributed to a recent acquisition [2] - Comparable sales are expected to be flat compared to the previous year, down from an earlier forecast of flat to up 1% [2] Financial Performance - For the fiscal third quarter, Lowe's net income decreased to $1.62 billion, or $2.88 per share, compared to $1.7 billion, or $2.99 per share in the same period last year [3] - Revenue for the quarter increased from $20.17 billion in the year-ago quarter to $20.81 billion, slightly below the expected $20.82 billion [3][9] - The adjusted earnings per share for the full year is now expected to be approximately $12.25, at the lower end of the previous range of $12.20 to $12.45 [3] Strategic Moves - Lowe's is focusing on attracting more business from contractors and home professionals to counteract weaker do-it-yourself sales [4][5] - The company recently acquired Foundation Building Materials for about $8.8 billion, which is expected to enhance its offerings to large residential and commercial professionals [5] - Earlier in the year, Lowe's announced the acquisition of Artisan Design Group for nearly $1.33 billion, further emphasizing its strategy to cater to professional markets [6] Market Context - The home improvement market is anticipated to remain roughly flat, as indicated by Lowe's CFO, who noted that the company's strategy, rather than an improving industry backdrop, will drive sales [7] - Competitor Home Depot has also lowered its full-year profit forecast, citing similar challenges such as a tough housing market and consumer uncertainty [4]

Core Insights - The company reported an adjusted earnings per share of $3.06 for the third quarter, exceeding the forecast of $3.00 [1] - Same-store sales growth for the third quarter was 0.4%, below the expected growth of 1.02% [1] - The company anticipates an adjusted earnings per share of approximately $12.25 for the full year, slightly lower than the market estimate of $12.40 [1] - Capital expenditures for the year are expected to be no more than $2.5 billion, consistent with previous estimates of around $2.5 billion [1]

Core Viewpoint - Home Depot has lowered its earnings forecast for fiscal year 2025 due to disappointing performance in the previous quarter, consumer uncertainty, and pressure in the housing market [1] Financial Performance - Home Depot expects diluted earnings per share to decline by approximately 6% in fiscal year 2025 compared to the previous fiscal year, a larger drop than the previously anticipated 3% in August [1] - The company's gross profit margin and operating profit margin expectations have also been revised downward [1] - In the third quarter of fiscal year 2025, Home Depot reported a net profit of $3.6 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 1.3%, with adjusted diluted earnings per share falling below market expectations [1] Market Conditions - The CEO, Ted Decker, noted that while potential demand remains relatively stable, the anticipated growth in demand for the third quarter did not materialize [1] - Consumer uncertainty and ongoing pressure in the housing market have significantly impacted the demand for home renovations [1] - CFO Richard McPhail indicated that the slowdown in the housing market and high borrowing costs have made consumers reluctant to spend significantly on home repairs, compounded by increased layoffs and declining home prices [1]

Core Viewpoint - Home Depot has lowered its earnings forecast for the fiscal year 2025 due to disappointing performance in the previous quarter, adverse weather conditions, consumer uncertainty, and ongoing pressures in the housing market [2] Group 1: Earnings Forecast and Financial Performance - Home Depot expects diluted earnings per share to decline by approximately 6% in fiscal year 2025, a larger drop than the previously anticipated 3% [2] - The company's gross profit margin forecast has been revised down from about 33.4% to 33.2%, and the operating profit margin is adjusted from around 13% to approximately 12.6% [2] - For the third quarter of fiscal year 2025, Home Depot reported a net profit of $3.6 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 1.3%, with adjusted diluted earnings per share at $3.74, down 1.1% from the previous quarter and below market expectations of $3.84 [2] Group 2: Sales and Market Conditions - Despite an increase in sales revenue forecast from about 2.8% to around 3% due to the acquisition of GMS, comparable sales growth has been revised down from about 1% to a slight increase [2] - The CEO noted that the third quarter's performance was impacted by a lack of storm-related demand, which put additional pressure on certain products [2] - Consumer uncertainty and ongoing pressures in the housing market are disproportionately affecting demand for home repairs, as indicated by the CFO [3] Group 3: Stock Market Reaction - Following the announcement, Home Depot's stock price experienced a decline of over 3% in early trading [4]

Market Performance - US stock indices opened lower, with the Dow Jones down 0.74%, Nasdaq down 0.63%, and S&P 500 down 0.5% [1] - Home Depot shares fell over 5% due to a same-store sales growth of only 0.2%, which was below market expectations [1] - On the other hand, Amer Sports shares rose nearly 9% after UBS reported strong growth momentum, expecting sales and earnings per share to exceed Wall Street forecasts [1] Chinese Stocks - Chinese stocks showed mixed performance, with Luobei up over 19%, Libang Kitchenware up over 5%, and Trip.com up over 2% [1] - Conversely, Pinduoduo fell over 5%, BOSS Zhipin down over 3%, and Baidu down over 2% [1] Cloud Computing Market Investigation - The European Commission has initiated market investigations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) regarding cloud computing services [2] - Investigations will assess whether Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure should be designated as gatekeepers under DMA, despite not meeting the thresholds for scale, user numbers, and market position [2] - The Commission will also evaluate if DMA can effectively address potential anti-competitive practices in the EU cloud computing sector [2] AI Market Insights - Google CEO Sundar Pichai warned that if the AI bubble bursts, no company will be unscathed, acknowledging irrational factors in current AI investment trends [3] Supercomputer Development - AMD and Eviden will power Europe's first hundred billion supercomputer located in France, featuring next-generation AMD EPYC CPUs and AMD Instinct MI430X GPUs [4] - The project has a total investment of €544 million, funded by EuroHPC JU and supported by the Digital Europe Program [4] Apple Sales in China - Apple saw a significant increase in smartphone sales in China in October, with a year-on-year growth of 37%, raising its market share to 25% [5] - The production plan for the iPhone 17 series includes approximately 54 million units in Q3 and an expected increase to 79 million units in Q4, with an annual total production forecast of 133 million units [5] Baidu Q3 Financial Results - Baidu reported Q3 total revenue of 31.2 billion yuan, with core revenue of 24.7 billion yuan [6] - The company disclosed AI business revenue for the first time, showing a year-on-year growth of over 50%, with AI cloud revenue up 33% and AI native marketing service revenue up 262% to 2.8 billion yuan [6] BOSS Zhipin Q3 Financial Results - BOSS Zhipin reported Q3 revenue of 2.16 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 13.2% [7] - The company achieved a paid enterprise customer count of 6.8 million, reflecting a 13.3% year-on-year growth [7] iQIYI Q3 Financial Results - iQIYI reported total revenue of 6.68 billion yuan for Q3, a year-on-year decline of 8% [8] - The company recorded a net loss of 248.9 million yuan, compared to a net profit of 229.4 million yuan in the same period last year [8]