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D.R. Horton, Inc.: Q2 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q2 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 21 April 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 2 lowered, 4 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Consolidated revenues Sourcefiscal 2026$33.5 billion to $34.5 billionLowered from $33.5 billion to $35.0 billion
Homes closed by homebuilding operations Sourcefiscal 202686,000 homes to 87,500 homesLowered from 86,000 homes to 88,000 homes
Income tax rate Sourcefiscal 2026approximately 24.5%Kept
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 lowered: Consolidated revenue guidance top end cut from $35.0 billion to $34.5 billion; range now $33.5 billion to $34.5 billion. Source
  • Guidance lowered: Homes closed guidance top end cut from 88,000 to 87,500; range now 86,000 to 87,500 homes. Source
  • Guidance kept: Income tax rate, operating cash flow, share repurchases and dividend payments guidance were reiterated without change. Source
  • New guidance: Third quarter fiscal 2026 guidance was planned to be provided on the April 21 conference call. Source
  • New: Boilerplate sales price range now starts at $200,000; the prior release stated $250,000. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Net income and EPS declined: Net income attributable to D.R. Horton fell 20% to $647.9 million; diluted EPS fell 13% to $2.24 for the quarter. Source
  • Net sales orders rose 11%: Net sales orders rose 11% to 24,992 homes, with an order value of $9.2 billion; homes closed rose 1% to 19,486. Source
  • Litigation outcome aided margins: Pre-tax margin and home sales gross margin each include a 40 basis point benefit from a favorable litigation outcome and lower warranty costs. Source
  • Six-month earnings lower: For the six months, net income attributable to D.R. Horton fell 25% to $1.2 billion and diluted EPS fell 18% to $4.27. Source

Segments and regions

  • Homebuilding pre-tax income fell 19%: Homebuilding pre-tax income was $757.9 million on revenue of $7.1 billion; pre-tax margin was 10.7%. Source
  • Forestar sold 2,938 lots: Forestar generated $374.3 million of revenue and $43.9 million of pre-tax income, a pre-tax margin of 11.7%. Source
  • Rental sales and pre-tax income: Rental revenue of $211.8 million came from 566 single-family and 216 multi-family units; pre-tax income was $12.3 million. Source
  • Financial services margin 26.8%: Financial services revenue was $192.8 million, with pre-tax income of $51.7 million and a pre-tax margin of 26.8%. Source
  • South Central led regional orders: South Central had the most net sales orders in the quarter at 6,821 homes, against 5,958 a year earlier. Source

“The D.R. Horton team delivered a solid second quarter, highlighted by a pre-tax profit margin of 11.5%, above the high end of our guidance range.”

David Auld, Executive Chairman

Products and customers

  • Lots from Forestar or third parties: Of homes closed in the six months, 67% were on lots developed by Forestar or third parties, up from 65% a year earlier. Source
  • Cancellation rate unchanged: The cancellation rate for the quarter was 16%, the same as the prior year quarter. Source
  • Entry price range lowered: The stated sales price range now starts at $200,000, against $250,000 in the prior release. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Incentives to stay elevated: Sales incentives are expected to remain elevated in fiscal 2026, with levels depending on demand, mortgage rates and market conditions. Source
  • Interest in cost of sales rose: Interest charged to cost of sales was $38.1 million for the quarter, against $32.2 million a year earlier. Source
  • Six-month margin litigation benefit: For the six months, pre-tax margin and home sales gross margin each include a 50 basis point benefit from the litigation outcome and lower warranty costs. Source

“We remain focused on disciplined capital allocation and are well-positioned to deliver value to our homebuyers while enhancing long-term value for our shareholders.”

David Auld, Executive Chairman

Demand and the order book

  • Affordability limits demand: Management said affordability constraints and cautious consumer sentiment continue to affect new home demand. Source
  • Unsold completed homes cut 35%: Unsold completed homes fell 35% from a year earlier; 5,500 unsold homes were completed, 800 of them for over six months. Source
  • Inventory of 38,200 homes: At quarter end the company held 38,200 homes in inventory, 22,900 unsold, against 29,600 homes at September 30, 2025. Source
  • Six-month orders up 7%: Net sales orders for the six months rose 7% to 43,292 homes, with an order value of $15.8 billion. Source
  • Backlog up to 16,882 homes: Sales order backlog at March 31, 2026 was 16,882 homes valued at $6,421.7 million, against 14,164 homes a year earlier. Source

Capital, cash and shareholder returns

  • Operating cash flow of $441.5 million: Cash provided by operations was $441.5 million for the six months ended March 31, 2026, against $210.5 million a year earlier. Source
  • About $1.0 billion returned to holders: In the quarter the company repurchased 6.0 million shares for $903.6 million and paid $129.7 million of dividends. Source
  • Shares outstanding down 8%: Common shares outstanding were 284.9 million, down 8% from a year earlier, with $1.7 billion of repurchase authorization remaining. Source
  • Liquidity and debt ratio rose: Total liquidity was $6.0 billion and debt to total capital was 21.7%, up from 18.8% at December 31, 2025. Source
  • $600 million of notes due: Homebuilding senior notes of $600 million mature within the next twelve months. Source

Strategy, land and returns

  • Lots owned and controlled fell: Lots owned and controlled totaled 575,300 at March 31, 2026, against 591,900 at September 30, 2025; 23% were owned. Source
  • Homebuilding return on inventory 17.6%: Trailing twelve month homebuilding return on inventory was 17.6%, calculated on average inventory. Source
  • Capital spending and acquisitions: Six-month spending on property and equipment was $64.6 million, and payments for business acquisitions were $87.9 million. Source

Coming up, as management said on 21 April 2026

  • Third quarter results scheduled July 21: Third quarter fiscal 2026 results are planned for July 21, 2026 before the market opens, with an 8:30 a.m. Eastern call. Source
  • Dividend payable May 14: Quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share is payable May 14, 2026 to holders of record on May 7, 2026. Source

In management's words

“Our strong liquidity, low leverage, national scale, affordable product offerings and controlled lot supply provide significant financial and operational flexibility.”

David Auld, Executive Chairman

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Net sales orders, second quarter (homes) Source24,992
Homes closed, second quarter (homes) Source19,486
Sales order backlog, March 31, 2026 (homes) Source16,882
Lots owned and controlled, March 31, 2026 Source575,300

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management named affordability constraints and cautious consumer sentiment as continuing to affect new home demand. Source
  • External: Sales incentives are expected to remain elevated, with levels depending on demand, mortgage interest rates and other market conditions. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • On track: Management said results to date keep the company on track within the original fiscal 2026 guidance. Source
  • Ahead: In the first quarter release, management said closings and revenue exceeded the high end of guidance.

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.