The Home Depot, Inc. (HD - Free Report) , the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2017 adjusted earnings of $1.69 per share that came ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.62. Also, quarterly earnings jumped 17.4% year over year.

Home Depot, Inc. (The) Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Home Depot, Inc. (The) Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | Home Depot, Inc. (The) Quote

Earnings Estimate Revision: The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2017 has witnessed a downtrend in the last 30 days. However, Home Depot’s performance in the trailing four quarters (excluding the quarter under review) gives a positive picture, with an average surprise of 3.9%.

Revenues: Total revenue increased 7.5% year over year to $23,883 million, and also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $23,655 million. Comparable-store sales (comps) in the quarter rose 7.5%, while U.S. comps increased 7.2%.

Key Events: Home Depot has raised its quarterly dividend by 15.7% to $1.03 per share, which is payable on Mar 22, 2018, to shareholders on record as of Mar 8.

Guidance: Home Depot issued guidance for fiscal 2018, which will have a 53-week period. The company expects sales growth of nearly 6.5%, alongside a 5% increase in comps. Further, management anticipates diluted earnings per share to increase about 28% to $9.31 in fiscal 2018. The guidance includes $4 billion impact from share repurchases.\

Further, management has reiterated its sales and operating margin targets for fiscal 2020, while it updated the return on invested capital target to include the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

Zacks Rank: Currently, Home Depot carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), which is subject to change following the earnings announcement.