Home Depot fiscal Q2 2019 earnings

Home Depot on Tuesday reported sales that missed analysts’ expectations and lowered its sales outlook for the year amid fears that the trade war will slow consumer spending.

“Today we are updating our sales guidance to account primarily for continued lumber price deflation, as well as potential impacts to the U.S. consumer arising from recently announced tariffs,” CEO Craig Menear said in prepared remarks.

The company’s shares were up less than 1% in premarket trading following the news.

Here’s what Home Depot reported for the fiscal second quarter of 2019 compared with what analysts were expecting, based on Refinitiv data:

• Earnings per share, adjusted: $3.17 vs. $3.08 expected
• Revenue: $30.84 billion vs. $30.99 billion expected
• Same-store sales: 3% vs. growth of 3.5% expected

Net income for the quarter ended Aug. 4 was $3.48 billion, or $3.17 per share, compared with $3.51 billion, or $3.05 a share, a year ago. That beat expectations for earnings of $3.08 a share, based on Refinitiv data.

Sales climbed 1.2% to $30.84 billion from $30.46 billion a year ago, short of expectations for $30.99 billion.

Sales at Home Depot stores open for at least 12 months were up 3% overall and were up 3.1% in the U.S., short of expectations for growth of 3.5%.

Home Depot said the average shopper’s ticket grew 1.7% during the quarter to $67.31 from $66.20 a year ago. It said sales per square foot climbed 1.1% to $509.55 from $504.20 in fiscal 2018.

On the heels of Tuesday’s mixed results, Home Depot is now calling for fiscal 2019 sales to be up about 2.3%, and same-store sales to be up about 4%. Previously, it was calling for total sales growth of 3.3% and same-store sales growth of 5%.

It’s still expecting earnings per share to grow by about 3.1% to $10.03 for the year.

“We are encouraged by the momentum we are seeing from our strategic investments and believe that the current health of the U.S. consumer and a stable housing environment continue to support our business,” Menear added.

Home Depot struggled earlier this year with a wet start to the year keeping more home improvement shoppers cooped up inside and putting a damper on sales. Analysts have meanwhile been concerned that Home Depot, along with rival Lowe’s, will lose momentum in what looks to be a rockier housing environment.

“Existing home sales remain choppy; home price appreciation is slowing; and home remodel/repair activity is expected to step down further as we get into the back half of 2019 and into 2020,” Gordon Haskett analyst Chuck Grom said in a note to clients earlier in the week.

Home Depot shares, which are valued at $228.8 billion, are up more than 21% this year. Lowe’s shares, valued at $74.5 billion, are up about 3%.