LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / December 08, 2017 / Active-Investors issued a free report on The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE: HD), which is readily accessible upon registration at www.active-investors.com/registration-sg/'symbol=HD as the Company's latest news hit the wire. On December 06, 2017, the Company outlined its key strategic priorities and long-term financial targets at its 2017 Investor and Analyst Conference. The Company also discussed its intent to increase business investments over the next three years. Sign up now for our free research reports at:
www.active-investors.com/registration-sg
Active-Investors.com is focused on giving you timely information and the inside line on companies that matter to you. This morning, Home Depot most recent news is on our radar and we have decided to include it on our blog post. Today's free coverage is available at:
www.active-investors.com/registration-sg/'symbol=HD
Strategic Targets
Home Depot provided an update on the five strategic priorities set in 2015. The Company aims to enhance customer experience by delivering innovative and exclusive products at the best value, and establishing stronger vendor collaboration. Home Depot wants to improve freight handling and delivery services, along with improving its current business models and technology.
Craig Menear, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Home Depot, expressed that the Company will accelerate its investments, while continuing to focus on delivering maximum value to its shareholders.
Home Depot wants to position itself as "One Home Depot' by investing in existing stores, products and services, and associates. The Company is focusing on making its online services more connected to its store operations to create interconnected customer experience and face rising competition. The Company also wants to invest in and further improve its supply chain and delivery capabilities.
FY17 Financial Outlook
Home Depot reaffirmed its sales and diluted EPS guidance for FY17. The Company expects sales to grow approximately 6.3% for the year, with a comparable store sales growth of approximately 6.5%. The Company's diluted EPS is expected to grow approximately 14% to $7.36 in FY17. Home Depot has set out new long-term financial targets for FY20. For the year ending January 2021, the Company's target range for sales is between $114.7 billion and $119.8 billion, and has set operating margin target between 14.4% and 15%, and return on invested capital between 36.4% and 39.6%.
Share Repurchase Program
Home Depot announced a $15 billion share repurchase program, replacing its previous authorization. The Company also intends to repurchase an additional $2.1 billion of shares in Q4 FY17, totaling share repurchases to $8 billion. Since 2002 and through Q3 FY17, the Company has returned approximately $73 billion of cash to shareholders through repurchases, repurchasing approximately 1.3 billion shares.
Home Depot's Q3 Sales Affected By Hurricanes
On November 14, 2017, Home Depot reported sales of $25.0 billion for Q3 FY17, an increase of 8.1% from Q3 FY16. The Company's comparable store sales were positive 7.9% and comparable sales for US stores were positive 7.7% for Q3 FY17. The Company mentioned that, as a result of rebuilding and repairs efforts after devastating hurricanes hit Texas and Florida, sales positively impacted comparable store sales growth by approximately $282 million in Q3 FY17.
About The Home Depot, Inc
Founded in 1978, Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer with retail sales of $94.6 billion and earnings of $8.0 billion for the fiscal year 2016. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the Company has more than 2,200 retail stores in the United States, - including Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and the territory of Guam - Canada, and Mexico, and employs more than 400,000 associates. Home Depot's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 index.
Stock Performance Snapshot
December 07, 2017 - At Thursday's closing bell, Home Depot's stock was slightly up 0.66%, ending the trading session at $182.00.
Volume traded for the day: 5.48 million shares, which was above the 3-month average volume of 4.53 million shares.
Stock performance in the last month - up 11.21%; previous three-month period - up 13.99%; past twelve-month period - up 37.40%; and year-to-date - up 35.74%
After yesterday's close, Home Depot's market cap was at $212.58 billion.
Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio was at 25.26.
The stock has a dividend yield of 1.96%.
The stock is part of the Services sector, categorized under the Home Improvement Stores industry. This sector was up 0.4% at the end of the session.
Active-Investors:
Active-Investors (A-I) produces regular sponsored and non-sponsored reports, articles, stock market blogs, and popular investment newsletters covering equities listed on NYSE and NASDAQ and Canadian stocks. A-I has two distinct and independent departments. One department produces non-sponsored analyst certified content generally in the form of press releases, articles and reports covering equities listed on NYSE and NASDAQ and the other produces sponsored content (in most cases not reviewed by a registered analyst), which typically consists of compensated investment newsletters, articles, and reports covering listed stocks and micro-caps. Such sponsored content is outside the scope of procedures detailed below.
A-I has not been compensated; directly or indirectly; for producing or publishing this document.
PRESS RELEASE PROCEDURES:
The non-sponsored content contained herein has been prepared by a writer (the "Author") and is fact checked and reviewed by a third-party research service company (the "Reviewer") represented by a credentialed financial analyst [for further information on analyst credentials, please email info@active-investors.com. Rohit Tuli, a CFA® charter-holder (the "Sponsor"), provides necessary guidance in preparing the document templates. The Reviewer has reviewed and revised the content, as necessary, based on publicly available information which is believed to be reliable. Content is researched, written and reviewed on a reasonable effort basis. The Reviewer has not performed any independent investigations or forensic audits to validate the information herein. The Reviewer has only independently reviewed the information provided by the Author according to the procedures outlined by A-I. A-I is not entitled to veto or interfere in the application of such procedures by the third-party research service company to the articles, documents or reports, as the case may be. Unless otherwise noted, any content outside of this document has no association with the Author or the Reviewer in any way.
NO WARRANTY
A-I, the Author, and the Reviewer are not responsible for any error which may be occasioned at the time of printing of this document or any error, mistake or shortcoming. No liability is accepted whatsoever for any direct, indirect or consequential loss arising from the use of this document. A-I, the Author, and the Reviewer expressly disclaim any fiduciary responsibility or liability for any consequences, financial or otherwise arising from any reliance placed on the information in this document. Additionally, A-I, the Author, and the Reviewer do not (1) guarantee the accuracy, timeliness, completeness or correct sequencing of the information, or (2) warrant any results from use of the information. The included information is subject to change without notice.
NOT AN OFFERING
This document is not intended as an offering, recommendation, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities mentioned or discussed, and is to be used for informational purposes only. Please read all associated disclosures and disclaimers in full before investing. Neither A-I nor any party affiliated with us is a registered investment adviser or broker-dealer with any agency or in any jurisdiction whatsoever. To download our report(s), read our disclosures, or for more information, visit http://active-investors.com/legal-disclaimer/.
CONTACT
For any questions, inquiries, or comments reach out to us directly. If you're a company we are covering and wish to no longer feature on our coverage list contact us via email and/or phone between 09:30 EDT to 16:00 EDT from Monday to Friday at:
Email: info@active-investors.com
Phone number: 73 29 92 6381
Office Address: 6, Jalan Kia Peng, Kuala Lumpur, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.
SOURCE: Active-Investors
