The Home Depot Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2009 Results; Declares
Dividend Increase and Provides Fiscal 2010 Outlook
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<p><span class="xn-location">ATLANTA</span>, <span class="xn-chron">Feb. 23</span> /CNW/ -- The Home Depot®, the world's largest home improvement retailer, today reported sales for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 of <span class="xn-money">$14.6 billion</span>, a 0.3 percent decrease from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008. Total company comparable store sales for the fourth quarter grew 1.2 percent. Comparable store sales for U.S. stores were negative 1.1 percent.</p>
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(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030502/HOMEDEPOTLOGO )
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<p>Earnings per diluted share from continuing operations for the fourth quarter were <span class="xn-money">$0.18</span>, compared to earnings per diluted share from continuing operations of <span class="xn-money">$0.00</span> in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008. Fourth quarter 2009 earnings per diluted share from continuing operations reflect a <span class="xn-money">$163 million</span> pre-tax write-down of the Company's investment in HD Supply.</p>
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<p>Excluding the write-down of the Company's investment in HD Supply, earnings from continuing operations were <span class="xn-money">$402 million</span> for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009, an increase of 22.9 percent from adjusted earnings from continuing operations of <span class="xn-money">$327 million</span> in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008. On an adjusted basis, earnings per diluted share from continuing operations were <span class="xn-money">$0.24</span> for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009, an increase of 26.3 percent from the same period in 2008.</p>
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<p>Fiscal 2009 fourth quarter consolidated net earnings were <span class="xn-money">$342 million</span>, or <span class="xn-money">$0.20</span> per diluted share, compared with a net loss of <span class="xn-money">$54 million</span>, or a <span class="xn-money">$0.03</span> loss per diluted share, for the same period in fiscal 2008. Consolidated net earnings include <span class="xn-money">$41 million</span> of earnings from discontinued operations arising from the Company's working capital settlement agreement with HD Supply.</p>
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Fiscal 2009
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<p>Sales for fiscal 2009 were <span class="xn-money">$66.2 billion</span>, a decline of 7.2 percent from fiscal 2008. Total company comparable store sales for the year declined 6.6 percent, and comps for U.S. stores were negative 6.2 percent for the year.</p>
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<p>Earnings per diluted share from continuing operations in fiscal 2009 were <span class="xn-money">$1.55</span>, compared to <span class="xn-money">$1.37</span> per diluted share from continuing operations in fiscal 2008, an increase of 13.1 percent. Excluding strategic charges recorded earlier in the year and the write-down of the Company's investment in HD Supply, adjusted earnings per diluted share from continuing operations for fiscal 2009 were <span class="xn-money">$1.66</span>. (Editors' Note: See attached chart for full explanation of charges.)</p>
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<p>For fiscal 2009, consolidated net earnings per diluted share increased 17.2 percent to <span class="xn-money">$1.57</span> on consolidated net earnings of <span class="xn-money">$2.7 billion</span>, compared to consolidated earnings per diluted share of <span class="xn-money">$1.34</span> on net earnings of <span class="xn-money">$2.3 billion</span> in fiscal 2008.</p>
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<p>"Despite the tough economic environment, we were able to make solid progress against our key initiatives in 2009," said <span class="xn-person">Frank Blake</span>, chairman & CEO. "For the year, we grew U.S. share by more than 100 basis points; we continued to restructure our distribution network, with our Rapid Deployment Centers now serving more than 65 percent of our U.S. store base; and we enhanced overall customer service as measured by third party surveys."</p>
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<p>In the fourth quarter, the Company's sales performance was driven by gains in kitchen and bath, paint, flooring and plumbing as well as its international businesses.</p>
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<p>"In the face of a very tough selling environment, our associates did an amazing job in 2009," said Blake. "Their hard work and dedication made these accomplishments possible."</p>
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Fourth Quarter Dividend Increase
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<p>The Company today announced that its board of directors declared a 5 percent increase in its quarterly cash dividend to 23.625 cents per share. "For the first time since 2006, the board has increased the dividend, a testament to our confidence in the Company's strategic initiatives and our commitment to returning capital to our shareholders," said Blake. "It is our intent to increase our dividend every year. Our longer-term targeted dividend payout ratio is 40 percent." The dividend is payable on <span class="xn-chron">March 25, 2010</span>, to shareholders of record on the close of business on <span class="xn-chron">March 11, 2010</span>. This is the 92nd consecutive quarter the Company has paid a cash dividend.</p>
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2010 Financial Outlook (based on GAAP)
The Company gave the following guidance for fiscal 2010:
Fiscal 2010 Guidance (based on GAAP results):
-- Sales growth: approximately 2.5 percent
-- Comparable store sales growth: approximately 2.5 percent
-- New stores: 6 net new
-- Gross margin expansion: modest
-- Expense leverage: modest
-- Operating margin: approximately 8 percent
-- Tax rate: approximately 37 percent
-- EPS from continuing operations growth: approximately 15.5 percent to
$1.79
-- Does not include the impact of share repurchases
-- Capital expenditures: approximately $1.25 billion
-- Depreciation and amortization expense: approximately $1.75 billion
-- Cash flow from the business: approximately $5.4 billion
-- Share repurchases: intend to use excess cash to repurchase shares
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<p>The Home Depot will conduct a conference call today at <span class="xn-chron">9 a.m. ET</span> to discuss information included in this news release and related matters. The conference call will be available in its entirety through a webcast and replay at earnings.homedepot.com.</p>
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<p>At the end of the fourth quarter, the Company operated a total of 2,244 retail stores, which included 1,976 The Home Depot stores in the <span class="xn-location">United States</span> (including the Commonwealth of <span class="xn-location">Puerto Rico</span>, the territory of the <span class="xn-location">U.S. Virgin Islands</span> and the territory of <span class="xn-location">Guam</span>), 179 stores in <span class="xn-location">Canada</span>, 79 stores in <span class="xn-location">Mexico</span> and 10 stores in <span class="xn-location">China</span>. The Company employs more than 300,000 associates. The Home Depot's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 index.</p>
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<p>To provide clarity, internally and externally, about the Company's operating performance for the recently completed fiscal quarter and year, the Company supplemented its reporting with non-GAAP financial measures to reflect the impact of the store rationalization charges, business rationalization charges, related restructuring charges and investment impairment charges. The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures better enable management and investors to understand and analyze the Company's performance by providing them with meaningful information relevant to events of unusual nature or frequency. However, this supplemental information should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the related GAAP measures. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures to the corresponding GAAP measures can be found in the attached press release and at earnings.homedepot.com.</p>
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<p>Certain statements contained herein constitute "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may relate to, among other things, the demand for our products and services, net sales growth, comparable store sales, state of the economy, state of the residential construction, housing and home improvement markets, state of the credit markets, including mortgages, home equity loans and consumer credit, commodity price inflation and deflation, implementation of store initiatives, continuation of reinvestment plans, net earnings performance, earnings per share, stock-based compensation expense, capital allocation and expenditures, liquidity, the effect of adopting certain accounting standards, return on invested capital, management of our purchasing or customer credit policies, the effect of accounting charges, the planned recapitalization of the Company, timing of the completion of the recapitalization, the ability to issue debt securities on terms and at rates acceptable to us, impact of cannibalization, store openings and closures and financial outlook. Forward-looking statements are based on currently available information and our current assumptions, expectations and projections about future events. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to future events, risks and uncertainties - many of which are beyond our control or are currently unknown to us - as well as potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations and projections. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to those described in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended <span class="xn-chron">February 1, 2009</span>, and in Part II, Item 1A, "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended <span class="xn-chron">November 1, 2009</span>.</p>
<p>Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we do not undertake to update these statements other than as required by law. You are advised, however, to review any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.</p>
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THE HOME DEPOT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS
FOR THE THREE MONTHS AND YEARS ENDED JANUARY 31, 2010 AND FEBRUARY 1, 2009
(Unaudited)
(Amounts in Millions Except Per Share Data and as Otherwise Noted)
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Three Months
Ended % Increase Years Ended % Increase
1-31-10 2-1-09 (Decrease) 1-31-10 2-1-09 (Decrease)
-------- --------- -------- ------- -------- --------
NET SALES $14,569 $14,607 (0.3)% $66,176 $71,288 (7.2)%
Cost of
Sales 9,556 9,647 (0.9) 43,764 47,298 (7.5)
-------- --------- ------- --------
GROSS
PROFIT 5,013 4,960 1.1 22,412 23,990 (6.6)
Operating
Expenses:
Selling,
General
and
Adminis
-trative 3,869 4,251 (9.0) 15,902 17,846 (10.9)
Depreciation
and
Amort-
ization 417 443 (5.9) 1,707 1,785 (4.4)
-------- --------- ------- --------
Total
Operating
Expenses 4,286 4,694 (8.7) 17,609 19,631 (10.3)
-------- --------- ------- --------
OPERATING
INCOME 727 266 173.3 4,803 4,359 10.2
Interest and
Other
(Income)
Expense:
Interest
and Investment
Income (3) (5) (40.0) (18) (18) -
Interest
Expense 161 139 15.8 676 624 8.3
Other 163 163 - 163 163 -
-------- --------- ------- --------
Interest
and Other,
net 321 297 8.1 821 769 6.8
-------- --------- ------- --------
EARNINGS (LOSS)
FROM CONTINUING
OPERATIONS BEFORE
PROVISION (CREDIT)
FOR INCOME
TAXES 406 (31) N/M 3,982 3,590 10.9
Provision
(Credit)
for Income
Taxes 105 (29) N/M 1,362 1,278 6.6
-------- --------- ------- --------
EARNINGS (LOSS)
FROM
CONTINUING
OPERATIONS 301 (2) N/M 2,620 2,312 13.3
EARNINGS (LOSS)
FROM
DISCONTINUED
OPERATIONS,
NET OF TAX 41 (52) N/M 41 (52) N/M
NET
EARNINGS -------- --------- ------- --------
(LOSS) $342 $(54) N/M% $2,661 $2,260 17.7%
======== ========= ======= ========
Weighted
Average
Common
Shares 1,679 1,681 (0.1)% 1,683 1,682 0.1%
BASIC EARNINGS
PER SHARE
FROM
CONTINUING
OPERATIONS $0.18 $- N/M $1.56 $1.37 13.9
BASIC EARNINGS
(LOSS) PER
SHARE FROM
DISCONTINUED
OPERATIONS $0.02 $(0.03) N/M $0.02 $(0.03) N/M
BASIC EARNINGS
(LOSS) PER
SHARE $0.20 $(0.03) N/M $1.58 $1.34 17.9
Diluted Weighted
Average Common
Shares 1,691 1,686 0.3% 1,692 1,686 0.4%
DILUTED EARNINGS
PER SHARE FROM
CONTINUING
OPERATIONS $0.18 $- N/M $1.55 $1.37 13.1
DILUTED EARNINGS
(LOSS) PER
SHARE FROM
DISCONTINUED
OPERATIONS $0.02 $(0.03) N/M $0.02 $(0.03) N/M
DILUTED EARNINGS
(LOSS) PER
SHARE $0.20 $(0.03) N/M $1.57 $1.34 17.2
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SELECTED
HIGHLIGHTS (1)
Three Months
Ended % Increase Years Ended % Increase
1-31-10 2-1-09 (Decrease) 1-31-10 2-1-09 (Decrease)
-------- --------- -------- ------- -------- --------
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Number of
Customer
Transactions 288 282 2.1% 1,274 1,272 0.2%
Average
Ticket
(actual) $50.01 $50.87 (1.7) $51.76 $55.61 (6.9)
Weighted
Average
Weekly
Sales per
Operating
Store
(in
thousands) $494 $485 1.9 $563 $601 (6.3)
Square Footage
at End of
Period 235 238 (1.3) 235 238 (1.3)
Capital
Expenditures $398 $436 (8.7) $966 $1,847 (47.7)
Depreciation
and
Amort-
ization (2) $442 $470 (6.0)% $1,806 $1,902 (5.0)%
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<p>(1) Includes continuing operations only. </p>
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(2) Includes depreciation of distribution centers and tool rental
equipment included in Cost of Sales and amortization of deferred
financing costs included in Interest Expense.
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<p>N/M - Not Meaningful</p>
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THE HOME DEPOT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
AS OF JANUARY 31, 2010 AND FEBRUARY 1, 2009
(Amounts in Millions)
1-31-10 2-1-09
------- ------
(Unaudited) (Audited)
ASSETS
Cash and Short-Term Investments $1,427 $525
Receivables, net 964 972
Merchandise Inventories 10,188 10,673
Other Current Assets 1,321 1,192
----- -----
Total Current Assets 13,900 13,362
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Property and Equipment, net 25,550 26,234
Goodwill 1,171 1,134
Other Assets 256 434
--- ---
TOTAL ASSETS $40,877 $41,164
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LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Accounts Payable $4,863 $4,822
Accrued Salaries and Related Expenses 1,263 1,129
Current Installments of Long-Term
Debt 1,020 1,767
Other Current Liabilities 3,217 3,435
----- -----
Total Current Liabilities 10,363 11,153
------ ------
Long-Term Debt 8,662 9,667
Other Long-Term Liabilities 2,459 2,567
----- -----
Total Liabilities 21,484 23,387
------ ------
Total Stockholders' Equity 19,393 17,777
------ ------
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS'
EQUITY $40,877 $41,164
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THE HOME DEPOT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS ITEMS EXCLUDING CERTAIN
ADJUSTMENTS (NON-GAAP) FOR THE THREE MONTHS AND YEARS ENDED JANUARY 31,
2010 AND FEBRUARY 1, 2009
(Unaudited)
(Amounts in Millions Except Per Share Data)
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Three Months Ended 1-31-10 Year Ended 1-31-10
-------------------------- -------------------------------
As As
Adjust- Adjusted Adjust- Adjusted
Actuals ment(1) (Non-GAAP) Actuals ments(2) (Non-GAAP)
------- -------- ---------- -------- --------- ----------
Net
Sales $14,569 $- $14,569 $66,176 $221 $65,955
Gross
Profit 5,013 - 5,013 22,412 28 22,384
Total
Operating
Ex-
penses 4,286 - 4,286 17,609 174 17,435
Operating
Income 727 - 727 4,803 (146) 4,949
Interest
and Other,
net 321 163 158 821 163 658
Earnings from
Continuing
Oper
-ations 301 (101) 402 2,620 (191) 2,811
Earnings from
Discontinued
Operations,
Net of
Tax 41 - 41 41 - 41
Net
Earnings $342 $(101) $443 $2,661 $(191) $2,852
Diluted
Earnings Per
Share from
Continuing
Oper-
ations $0.18 $(0.06) $0.24 $1.55 $(0.11) $1.66
Diluted
Earnings Per
Share
from
Discontinued
Oper-
ations $0.02 $- $0.02 $0.02 $- $0.02
Diluted
Earnings
Per
Share $0.20 $(0.06) $0.26 $1.57 $(0.11) $1.69
Three Months Ended 2-1-09 Year Ended 2-1-09
---------------------------- ------------------------------
As As
Adjust Adjusted Adjust- Adjusted
Actuals ments(2) (Non-GAAP) Actuals ments(2) (Non-GAAP)
------- -------- ---------- -------- --------- ----------
Net
Sales $14,607 $- $14,607 $71,288 $- $71,288
Gross
Profit 4,960 (20) 4,980 23,990 (30) 24,020
Total
Operating
Expenses 4,694 367 4,327 19,631 921 18,710
Operating
Income 266 (387) 653 4,359 (951) 5,310
Interest
and Other,
net 297 163 134 769 163 606
Earnings
(Loss)
from
Continuing
Operations (2) (329) 327 2,312 (684) 2,996
Loss from
Discontinued
Operations,
Net of Tax (52) - (52) (52) - (52)
Net Earnings
(Loss) $(54) $(329) $275 $2,260 $(684) $2,944
Diluted
Earnings
Per Share
from
Continuing
Operations $- $(0.20) $0.19 $1.37 $(0.41) $1.78
Diluted Loss
Per Share
from
Discontinued
Oper-
ations $(0.03) $- $(0.03) $(0.03) $- $(0.03)
Diluted
Earnings
(Loss)
Per
Share $(0.03) $(0.20) $0.16 $1.34 $(0.41) $1.75
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Note: Certain amounts in Diluted Earnings Per Share may not foot due to
rounding.
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(1) Adjustment is comprised of a charge to write-down the Company's
investment in HD Supply.
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(2) Adjustments are comprised of store rationalization charges related
to the closing of 15 stores and the removal of 50 stores from our future
growth pipeline, business rationalization charges related to the exit of
EXPO, THD Design Center, Yardbirds and HD Bath businesses, as well as net
sales, gross profit and operating expenses of those exited businesses
during the period from closing announcement to actual closing,
charges related to restructuring of support functions and investment
impairment charges.
For further information: Financial Community, Diane Dayhoff, Vice President of Investor Relations, [email protected], or News Media, Paula Drake, Sr. Manager, Corporate Communications, +1-770-384-3439, [email protected] Web Site: http://www.homedepot.com
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