Home Depot and Lowe’s will report their second-quarter earnings on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, a chance for the home-improvement retailers to extend their year-to-date gains amid a robust housing market.
The pandemic has been a boon for the industry, as Americans spend more on new houses and home improvements, and the stocks have moved from strength to strength. Although investors have gotten used to big beats from the companies given the white-hot housing market, comments from management about continuing strength would likely bolster the stocks.
Home Depot (HD) is up 25% year to date, and more than 18% in the past 12 months. Lowe’s has risen more than 18% in 2021 and 23% in the past year.Barron’s named Lowe’s Marvin Ellison to its Best CEOs list earlier this summer. The stock is up a market-beating 24% since we recommended it in March.
Both companies delivered better-than-expected first-quarter results in May, although Home Depot shares got a boost while Lowe’s stock slipped.
For the second quarter, analysts expect Home Depot to earn $4.43 a share from revenue of $40.57 billion, up from earnings of $3.86 a share in the prior quarter and $4.02 in the year-earlier period. For Lowe’s, the consensus calls for EPS of $4 and revenue of $26.79 billion, up from EPS of $3.21 in the previous quarter and $3.75 a year earlier.
The Street is upbeat about the home-improvement retailers in general. More than two-thirds of the 34 analysts tracked by FactSet who cover Home Depot rate it at Buy or the equivalent, while 29% are sidelined. There is one Sell rating.
Lowe’s is even more popular, with 79% of 33 analyst bullish, 18% rating it at Hold, and a single bearish call.