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D.R. Horton, Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 20 January 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 6 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Net income and diluted EPS fell: Net income attributable to D.R. Horton was $594.8 million, against $844.9 million a year earlier. Diluted EPS was $2.03, against $2.61. Source
  • Homes closed and revenue fell: Homebuilding revenue was $6.5 billion, against $7.1 billion a year earlier. Homes closed were 17,818, against 19,059. Source
  • Net sales orders rose 3%: Orders were 18,300 homes, against 17,837 a year earlier. Order value was $6.7 billion in both periods. Source
  • Operating cash flow of $854.0 million: Operating cash flow was $854.0 million, against $646.7 million in the prior year quarter. Source
  • Repurchases and dividends in quarter: Management said $801.2 million was returned to shareholders through repurchases and dividends, comprising $669.7 million of repurchases and $131.5 million of dividends. Source
  • Fiscal 2026 guidance reiterated: Based on first quarter results and current market conditions, management reiterated all fiscal 2026 guidance; the figures match the October 28, 2025 release. Source

“The D.R. Horton team delivered a solid first quarter.”

David Auld, Executive Chairman

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Consolidated revenues Sourcefiscal 2026$33.5 billion to $35.0 billionKept
Homes closed by homebuilding operations Sourcefiscal 202686,000 homes to 88,000 homesKept
Income tax rate Sourcefiscal 2026approximately 24.5%Kept
Consolidated cash flow provided by operations Sourcefiscal 2026at least $3.0 billionKept
Share repurchases Sourcefiscal 2026approximately $2.5 billionKept
Dividend payments Sourcefiscal 2026approximately $500 millionKept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: Management reiterated fiscal 2026 guidance; the six guidance figures match the October 28, 2025 release. Source

Results and profitability

  • Net income and diluted EPS fell: Net income attributable to D.R. Horton was $594.8 million, against $844.9 million a year earlier. Diluted EPS was $2.03, against $2.61. Source
  • Consolidated pre-tax income and margin: Consolidated pre-tax income was $798.1 million on $6.9 billion of revenues, with an 11.6% pre-tax margin, against $1,109.9 million a year earlier. Source
  • Return on equity and assets: Trailing twelve month ROE was 13.7% and ROA was 9.4%, against 14.6% and 10.0% for fiscal 2025 in the prior release. Source

Homebuilding segment results

  • Homes closed and revenue fell: Homebuilding revenue was $6.5 billion, against $7.1 billion a year earlier. Homes closed were 17,818, against 19,059. Source
  • Homebuilding pre-tax income fell: Homebuilding pre-tax income was $708.1 million, against $1,012.9 million a year earlier, with a 10.8% pre-tax margin. Source
  • Southwest closings fell: Southwest closed 1,891 homes, against 2,335 a year earlier. South Central closed 4,628 homes, against 4,736. Source

“Affordability constraints and cautious consumer sentiment continue to impact new home demand.”

David Auld, Executive Chairman

Non-homebuilding segments

  • Rental pre-tax income of $0.2 million: Rental revenue was $109.5 million from 397 single-family rental homes sold, against $217.8 million a year earlier. Rental pre-tax income was $0.2 million, against $11.9 million. Source
  • Forestar lots sold and margin: Forestar sold 1,944 lots for $273.0 million of revenue, with $20.8 million of pre-tax income and a 7.6% margin, against 4,891 lots in the prior quarter. Source
  • Financial services revenue and margin: Financial services revenues were $184.6 million, with $58.0 million of pre-tax income and a 31.4% margin, against $218.3 million and 34.7% in the prior quarter. Source

Demand, orders and backlog

  • Net sales orders rose 3%: Orders were 18,300 homes, against 17,837 a year earlier. Order value was $6.7 billion in both periods. Source
  • Cancellation rate held at 18%: Cancelled orders were 18% of gross sales orders, consistent with the prior year quarter. The fiscal 2025 cancellation rate was also 18%. Source
  • Backlog rose year over year: Sales order backlog was 11,376 homes worth $4,313.5 million, against 11,003 homes and $4,299.0 million a year earlier, and 10,785 homes at September 30, 2025. Source

“We are maintaining our disciplined approach to capital allocation to enhance the long-term value of D.R. Horton, including consistently returning capital to our shareholders.”

David Auld, Executive Chairman

Inventory and lot supply

  • Homes in inventory rose: Homes in inventory were 30,400 at December 31, 2025, against 29,600 at September 30, 2025. Of these, 20,000 were unsold, against 19,600. Source
  • Closings on Forestar or third-party lots: 67% of first quarter closings were on lots developed by Forestar or third parties, up from 65% in the prior year quarter. Source
  • Homebuilding ROI lower than fiscal 2025: Trailing twelve month homebuilding ROI was 18.6%, against 20.1% for fiscal 2025 in the prior release. Source

Costs and margins

  • Warranty recovery added 40 basis points: Consolidated pre-tax margin and home sales gross margin each include a 40 basis point benefit from recovery of prior period warranty costs. Source
  • SG&A expense declined year over year: SG&A expense was $865.1 million, against $878.1 million a year earlier. Other income was $68.5 million, against $77.8 million. Source

Cash flow and balance sheet

  • Operating cash flow of $854.0 million: Operating cash flow was $854.0 million, against $646.7 million in the prior year quarter. Source
  • Liquidity and debt to capital: Total liquidity was $6.6 billion. Debt to total capital was 18.8%, down from 19.8% at September 30, 2025. Source
  • $600 million notes mature within year: Homebuilding senior notes of $600 million mature within the next twelve months. The prior release said there were no senior note maturities in fiscal 2026. Source

Shareholder returns

  • Repurchases and dividends in quarter: Management said $801.2 million was returned to shareholders through repurchases and dividends, comprising $669.7 million of repurchases and $131.5 million of dividends. Source
  • Shares outstanding down 9%: Shares outstanding were 290.5 million, down 9% from a year ago. Remaining repurchase authorization was $2.6 billion, against $3.3 billion at September 30, 2025. Source
  • Quarterly dividend held at $0.45: The declared quarterly dividend is $0.45 per share, the same rate as the prior declaration. Source

Fiscal 2026 guidance reiterated

  • Fiscal 2026 guidance reiterated: Based on first quarter results and current market conditions, management reiterated all fiscal 2026 guidance; the figures match the October 28, 2025 release. Source
  • Revenue guidance range reiterated: Consolidated revenues are guided to $33.5 billion to $35.0 billion for fiscal 2026, the same range as the prior release. Source
  • Operating cash flow of at least $3.0 billion: Consolidated operating cash flow is guided at least $3.0 billion for fiscal 2026, unchanged from the prior release. Source

Operators, strategy and flexibility

  • Tenured operators executing with discipline: Management credited tenured operators with continuing to execute with discipline during the first quarter. Source
  • Affordable products and flexible lot supply: Management said affordable product offerings and flexible lot supply position the company to meet market demand. Source
  • Liquidity and operational flexibility cited: Management cited liquidity, low leverage, experienced operators and national scale as providing significant financial and operational flexibility. Source

Coming up, as management said on 20 January 2026

  • Q2 guidance on today's call: Management plans to give second quarter fiscal 2026 guidance on the January 20 call. Source
  • Second quarter results April 21: Second quarter fiscal 2026 results are scheduled for April 21, 2026, before market open, with a call at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Homes closed (homebuilding) Source17,818
Net sales orders (homes) Source18,300
Sales order backlog (homes) Source11,376
Homes in inventory Source30,400

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management said sales incentives stay elevated in fiscal 2026, depending on spring demand, mortgage interest rates and market conditions. Source
  • Operational: 7,300 unsold homes were completed, including 900 completed for more than six months, as reported in the quarter. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Ahead: Management said first quarter closings and revenue exceeded the high end of the closings and revenue guidance. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.