LDN Business - Home Depot Sales

Home Depot's sales improve as customers stay focused on smaller projects

[August 20, 2025] By MICHELLE CHAPMAN

Home Depot's sales improved during its fiscal second quarter as consumers remained focused on smaller projects amid cost concerns and economic uncertainty, but its performance missed Wall Street's expectations.

The Atlanta-based company also said shoppers should expect modest price increases in some categories as a result of rising tariff costs, though they won't be broad-based. Company executives told analysts during the earnings call after the results were released that more than 50% of its products are sourced domestically and wouldn’t be subject to any tariffs.

In May, Home Depot said it didn't expect to raise prices because of tariffs, saying it had spent years diversifying the sources for the goods on its shelves.

But Billy Bastek, executive vice president of merchandising at Home Depot, told analysts on Tuesday that tariff rates are significantly higher than they were when it released earnings results in May.

“Our customers tend to shop for the entire project, ” Bestek said. “And you think about a small flooring project, tile grout, bath tub and vanity and a bath project. And so we’re laser focused on protecting the cost of the entire project.”

Revenue for the three months ended August 3 climbed to $45.28 billion from $43.18 billion, but fell short of the $45.41 billion that analysts polled by FactSet were looking for.

Sales at stores open at least a year, a key indicator of a retailer’s health, rose 1%. In the U.S., comparable store sales increased 1.4%.

Home Depot's stock surged more than 3% in Tuesday afternoon trading.

Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, said that Home Depot saw consumers concentrating on smaller projects and gardening during the quarter.

“As the largest improvement player, Home Depot is getting the lion’s share of this growth and remains the number one destination for consumers due to strong customer service, a comprehensive range, and sharp pricing,” he said. “The latter factor will serve it well as consumers become more price conscious.”

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A shopper leaves a Home Depot store, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Customer transactions declined less than 1% in the quarter. The amount shoppers spent rose to $90.01 per average receipt from $88.90 in the prior-year period.

“Our second quarter results were in line with our expectations," Chair and CEO Ted Decker said in a statement. "The momentum that began in the back half of last year continued throughout the first half as customers engaged more broadly in smaller home improvement projects.”

Home improvement retailers like Home Depot have been dealing with homeowners putting off bigger projects because of increased borrowing costs and lingering concerns about inflation.

The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump dating back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows.

Sales of previously occupied homes have slumped as elevated mortgage rates and rising prices discourage home shoppers.

Sales of such homes in the U.S. slid in June to the slowest pace since last September as mortgage rates remained high and the national median sales price climbed to an all-time high of $435,300.

Home sales fell last year to their lowest level in nearly 30 years.

Home Depot earned $4.55 billion, or $4.58 per share, for the second quarter. A year ago, the Atlanta-based company earned $4.56 billion, or $4.60 per share.

Removing certain items, earnings were $4.68 per share. Wall Street was looking for earnings of $4.72 per share.

The company reaffirmed its fiscal 2025 forecast for total sales growth of about 2.8%. It still expects adjusted earnings to decline about 2% from $15.24 per share a year earlier.

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