Home Depot overcomes slow start to year, rising home prices

Home Depot's first-quarter sales improved despite a slow spring start and the home improvement chain raised its full-year guidance.

Revenue increased about 4% to $38.91 billion, easily beating Wall Street expectations, according to a survey of analysts by Zacks Investment Research.

Sales at stores open at least a year, a key indicator of a retailer’s health, climbed 2.2% globally, and 1.7% in the U.S.

Home improvement stores have remained busy during the pandemic as people working from home took on new projects and now they're in their traditional busy spring season as home owners head out for flowers, vegetables and other gardening and landscaping goods.

Home Depot earned $4.23 billion, or $4.09 per share, for the quarter, also topping analyst per-share projections of $3.67. A year earlier the Atlanta company earned $4.1 billion, or $3.86 per share.

Home Depot has continued to lure customers despite what may be a cooling of the housing market. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slowed in March to the slowest pace in nearly two years as a swift rise in mortgage rates and record-high prices discouraged would-be homebuyers.

Existing home sales fell 2.7% last month from February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.77 million, the National Association of Realtors said.

Last week mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported that the 30-year rate ticked up to 5.3% from 5.27% a week earlier. By contrast, the average rate stood at 2.94% a year ago.

Home Depot now foresees earnings-per-share-percent-growth to be mid-single digits. It anticipates total sales growth and comparable sales growth of approximately 3%. The company previously predicted fiscal 2022 sales growth and same-store sales growth to be slightly positive. It had forecast low single digits earnings per share...