People wear protective face masks outside Home Depot in the Flatiron district as the city continues Phase 4 of re-opening following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus on August 8, 2020 in New York City.
Noam Galai | Getty Images
Home Depot’s fourth-quarter earnings surged past investors’ expectations on Tuesday, as consumers continued to invest in their homes due to the pandemic and strength of the real estate market.
Shares are down more than 1% in premarket trading, after the company did not provide an outlook for the year.
Home Depot Chief Financial Officer Richard McPhail said the retailer is not sure how long the pandemic will last and how that may influence consumer spending. He said if demand from the second half of last year continues, it would lead to slightly positive same-store sales growth and an operating margin of at least 14% this year.
Here’s what the company reported for the quarter ended Jan. 31 compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by Refinitiv:
- Earnings per share: $2.65 vs. $2.62 expected
- Revenue: $32.26 billion vs. $30.73 billion expected
Home Depot’s net income rose to $2.86 billion, or $2.65 per share, up from $2.48 billion, or $2.28 per share, a year earlier. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv expected earnings per share of $2.62.
Net sales rose 25% to $32.26 billion from $25.78 billion a year ago, and outpacing estimates of $30.73 billion.
Its U.S. same-store sales jumped by 25%. Its overall same-store sales grew by 24.5%, higher than the 19.2% growth that analysts expected, according to a StreetAccount survey. The growth is in line with what Home Depot reported during the second and third quarter, when it benefited from keeping doors open as an essential retailer.
Home Depot also announced Tuesday that its board approved a 10% increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.65 per share.
This story is developing and will be updated.
Read the complete press release here.