por admin » Mar May 19, 2020 7:26 am
Home Depot sales rise 7% but higher coronavirus-related costs drag down earnings
PUBLISHED TUE, MAY 19 20205:34 AM EDTUPDATED 23 MIN AGO
William Feuer
@WILLFOIA
Home Depot shares fell as profits were weighed down by extra costs related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Sales were stronger than expected. Sales at stores open at least 12 months, grew 6.4%.
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Home Depot posts EPS miss, revenue beat
Home Depot shares fell nearly 2% in Tuesday’s premarket after the company reported that first-quarter profits were weighed down by costs related to the coronavirus pandemic.
It said sales rose sharply.
For the first quarter that ended May 3, Home Depot reported that net income fell 10.7% to $2.25 billion, or $2.08 per share, compared with $2.51 billion, or $2.27 per share, a year earlier. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv expected the company to earn $2.27 per share.
Revenue for the quarter rose 7.1% to $28.26 billion from $26.38 billion a year earlier, topping analyst expectations of $27.54 billion. Home Depot’s same-store sales grew 6.4%, beating expectations of 4.4%, based on StreetAccount estimates.
However, it’s difficult to compare reported earnings with analyst estimates for the first quarter because the coronavirus pandemic has changed customers’ shopping patterns and added additional labor and safety costs for companies.
Chart of Home Depot comparable sales reporting 7.5% growth for Q1 2020.
Home Depot said it took a number of steps to boost wages and keep employees coming in during the pandemic. The company said it expanded paid time off for all hourly employees, as well as for non-hourly workers deemed at-risk for Covid-19 infection by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines. It said it has also provided more incentives to keep workers coming in, such as doubled overtime and weekly bonuses as well as expanded benefits.
All told, Home Depot said these measures cost it $640 million after tax, or about 60 cents a share.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic evolved, we anchored to the core values of our Company by focusing on two key priorities: working to ensure the safety and well-being of our associates and customers, and providing our customers and communities with essential products,” CEO Craig Menear said in a statement. “We took early and decisive action to intentionally limit customer traffic in our stores which we believe had a significant impact to sales in many markets.”
Home Depot said its sales remained strong through the first two weeks of the second quarter, but it is nonetheless suspending its 2020 guidance due to uncertainty related to the crisis.
Home Depot has had a few advantages going into the pandemic compared with other retailers. It’s been deemed an essential retailer in most states, so its stores have remained open. It has invested in e-commerce and online offerings, such as curbside pickup. And spring is historically the busiest time of the year for the home improvement industry.
The company’s stock bottomed in the first quarter at a $152.15 closing price on March 20 just as state-by-state restrictions were rolling out across the country in the midst of Home Depot’s busy season. However, the stock has bounced back, reaching record highs earlier this week, bringing its market cap to more than $263 billion.
The investment in retaining employees with added benefits and boosted wages will prove to be a smart long-term decision, senior equity research analyst at Oppenheimer Brian Nagel told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
“I think Home Depot is one of the companies that is benefiting or really capitalizing, performing well through this Covid-19 crisis and is likely to perform well as the crisis headwinds abate,” Nagel said. “More people are spending more time in their homes, and you’re seeing that increase spend as more people spend more time working on their houses.”
The company said it has canceled major spring season promotions that drive foot traffic to stores, such as Black Friday-like events. It also has been enforcing social distancing in its stores, and it has distributed thermometers to employees who work in stores and distribution centers so they can monitor their temperatures.
The company previously said it would hire 80,000 additional employees, with many part-time hires staffing its garden center, on par with spring hiring in recent years despite disruption from the pandemic.
The Atlanta-based retailer previously said it planned to invest $3.9 billion in 2020 toward further integrating its online business with its traditional stores. Home Depot did not address the status of the investment in its earnings release. The investments have helped Home Depot to shorten delivery time and develop a more user-friendly website. It’s also sought to streamline curbside pickup with automated lockers for customers.
—CNBC’s Melissa Repko contributed to this report.