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Home Depot, Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 19 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 11 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Sales rose 4.8% year over year: Net sales were $41.8 billion, up $1.9 billion or 4.8% from the first quarter of fiscal 2025. Comparable sales rose 0.6%, with U.S. comparable sales up 0.4%. Source
  • Earnings declined year over year: Diluted EPS was $3.30 against $3.45 a year earlier. Adjusted diluted EPS was $3.43 against $3.56. Net earnings were $3.3 billion versus $3.4 billion. Source
  • Results in line with expectations: Management said first quarter results were in line with its expectations. Underlying demand was relatively similar to fiscal 2025 despite greater consumer uncertainty and housing affordability pressure. Source
  • Transactions fell, average ticket rose: Comparable customer transactions fell 1.3% while comparable average ticket rose 2.2%. Total customer transactions were 391.1 million, down 0.9%, and average ticket was $92.76, up 2.3%. Source
  • Operating income declined 3.0%: Operating income was $5.0 billion, down 3.0%. Operating margin was 11.9% against 12.9%. Adjusted operating margin was 12.3% against 13.2%. Source
  • Operating cash flow rose sharply: Net cash provided by operating activities was $6.0 billion versus $4.3 billion, with changes in working capital contributing $1.3 billion against a $244 million outflow a year earlier. Source

“Our first quarter results were in line with our expectations. The underlying demand in our business was relatively similar to what we saw throughout fiscal 2025, despite greater consumer uncertainty and housing affordability pressure,”

Ted Decker, chair, president and CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Total sales growth SourceFiscal 2026approximately 2.5% to 4.5%Kept
Comparable sales growth SourceFiscal 2026approximately flat to 2.0%Kept
New stores SourceFiscal 2026approximately 15Kept
Gross margin SourceFiscal 2026approximately 33.1%Kept
Operating margin SourceFiscal 2026approximately 12.4% to 12.6%Kept
Adjusted operating margin SourceFiscal 2026approximately 12.8% to 13.0%Kept
Effective tax rate SourceFiscal 2026approximately 24.3%Kept
Net interest expense SourceFiscal 2026approximately $2.3 billionKept
Diluted EPS growth SourceFiscal 2026approximately flat to 4.0% from $14.23 in fiscal 2025Kept
Adjusted diluted EPS growth SourceFiscal 2026approximately flat to 4.0% from $14.69 in fiscal 2025Kept
Capital expenditures SourceFiscal 2026approximately 2.5% of total salesKept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: The company reaffirmed all fiscal 2026 guidance items from the February 24, 2026 release; no figure was raised, lowered, started or withdrawn. Source
  • New: Store count rose from 2,359 retail stores and over 1,250 SRS locations at the end of the fourth quarter to 2,361 retail stores and over 1,280 SRS locations at the end of the first quarter. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Sales rose 4.8% year over year: Net sales were $41.8 billion, up $1.9 billion or 4.8% from the first quarter of fiscal 2025. Comparable sales rose 0.6%, with U.S. comparable sales up 0.4%. Source
  • Currency added about 55 basis points: Foreign exchange rates positively impacted total company comparable sales by approximately 55 basis points in the quarter. Source
  • Earnings declined year over year: Diluted EPS was $3.30 against $3.45 a year earlier. Adjusted diluted EPS was $3.43 against $3.56. Net earnings were $3.3 billion versus $3.4 billion. Source

Management view on demand

  • Results in line with expectations: Management said first quarter results were in line with its expectations. Underlying demand was relatively similar to fiscal 2025 despite greater consumer uncertainty and housing affordability pressure. Source

“As always, our associates provided excellent customer service during the quarter, and I would like to thank them for their continued hard work and dedication to serving our customers.”

Ted Decker, chair, president and CEO

Traffic and ticket

  • Transactions fell, average ticket rose: Comparable customer transactions fell 1.3% while comparable average ticket rose 2.2%. Total customer transactions were 391.1 million, down 0.9%, and average ticket was $92.76, up 2.3%. Source

Margins and costs

  • Gross profit rose on higher sales: Gross profit was $13.8 billion, up 2.4%, while gross margin fell from the prior-year level as cost of sales grew 6.0%, faster than sales. Source
  • Operating income declined 3.0%: Operating income was $5.0 billion, down 3.0%. Operating margin was 11.9% against 12.9%. Adjusted operating margin was 12.3% against 13.2%. Source
  • SG&A grew 5.7%: Selling, general and administrative expense rose to $8.0 billion, up 5.7%. Depreciation and amortization rose 5.7% to $841 million. Source
  • Acquired-intangible amortization increased: Acquired intangible asset amortization was $171 million versus $139 million, of which $119 million related to SRS Distribution against $87 million a year earlier. Source
  • Tax and interest costs: Provision for income taxes was $1.1 billion, down 1.9%. Interest expense was $611 million, down 0.7%. Source

Capital, cash and shareholder returns

  • Operating cash flow rose sharply: Net cash provided by operating activities was $6.0 billion versus $4.3 billion, with changes in working capital contributing $1.3 billion against a $244 million outflow a year earlier. Source
  • Capital spending and acquisitions: Capital expenditures were $844 million against $806 million. Payments for businesses acquired, net, were $286 million against $156 million. Source
  • Dividends paid and debt repaid: Cash dividends paid were $2.3 billion. Short-term debt repayments were $961 million and long-term debt repayments were $1.4 billion. No share repurchases appear in the quarter's cash flow statement. Source
  • Balance sheet debt and equity: Short-term debt was $3.5 billion, down from $4.5 billion at fiscal year-end. Total stockholders' equity was $13.9 billion, up from $12.8 billion. Source

Store footprint and inventory

  • Store count edged up: The company operated 2,361 retail stores and over 1,280 SRS locations at quarter end, up from 2,359 and over 1,250 at fiscal 2025 year-end. Source
  • Inventory rose year over year: Merchandise inventories were $27.3 billion against $25.8 billion a year earlier and $25.8 billion at fiscal year-end. Source

Acquisitions and goodwill

  • Goodwill and intangibles increased: Goodwill was $22.5 billion against $19.6 billion a year earlier. Intangible assets, net, were $10.2 billion against $8.9 billion. The documents name SRS and GMS among acquired companies in the forward-looking statements. Source

Workforce and footprint

  • Associate headcount unchanged: The company employs over 470,000 associates, the same figure reported in the February release. Source

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management cited greater consumer uncertainty and housing affordability pressure as conditions affecting demand. Source
  • External: Management noted that foreign exchange rates added about 55 basis points to total company comparable sales in the quarter. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • On track: Management reaffirmed fiscal 2026 guidance after first quarter results, which it described as in line with its expectations. 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.