Content about Company Earnings Guidance

Playing with an extra week in its calendar, Atlanta-based Home Depot’s fourth-quarter sales increased 13.9% to $18.2 billion, as the company’s comps increased 7.1%.

The company posted net earnings of $1.0 billion in the fourth quarter, up 31.9% compared with last year’s fourth quarter. 

Scotts Miracle-Gro posted first-quarter net sales of $205.8 million, up 3% from $199.6 million during the same quarter a year ago. 

Sales in the Global Consumer segment in the quarter ended Dec. 29, 2012, were up 3% to $153.2 million, compared with $149.1 million a year ago, attributable to increased volume during the quarter. 

Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based Sears Holdings Corp. announced Monday that Louis J. D'Ambrosio will step down as CEO for family health matters at the end of the company's fiscal year on Feb. 2. Edward S. Lampert will then assume the role of CEO of Sears Holdings, in addition to his role as chairman of the board of directors. 

Mooresville, N.C.-based Lowe's reported third-quarter net income of $396 million, up 76% from earnings of $225 million a year ago. Revenues increased 2% to $12.07 billion, ahead of consensus estimates of $11.93 billion.

Epicor Software Corp., the business software solutions provider, has announced its preliminary financial results for fiscal 2012 and the completion of its acquisition of Solarsoft Business Systems.

Boosted by mild temperatures and spring-like selling conditions throughout much of the country, Atlanta-based Home Depot saw sales rise nearly 6% in the fourth quarter.

The home improvement giant reported fourth-quarter sales of $16.0 billion, up 5.9% from the same quarter last year. Comparable-store sales were positive 5.7%, and up 6.1% in the United States.

"We had a strong finish to 2011, and with favorable weather, our business delivered results that exceeded our expectations," said CEO Frank Blake. 

Marysville, Ohio-based Scotts Miracle-Gro said Wednesday morning that its first quarter will see a bigger-than-expected loss, but it is maintaining its outlook for the full year.

Sales for the first quarter ending Dec. 31 are expected to decline about $30 million from the same quarter a year ago. The adjusted net loss in the quarter is expected to range from $70 million to $75 million, compared with a net loss of $65.6 million in the prior year.

The $1.20-to-$1.25 per share loss is greater than the $1.13 per share loss expected by Wall Street.

Marysville, Ohio-based Scotts Miracle-Gro said it expects to report a 2% decline in sales for fiscal 2011 when it issues its full-year financial results Nov. 8.

The sales shortfall, coupled with associated gross margin pressure, will likely result in adjusted net earnings in a range of approximately $2.70 to $2.75 per share, according to the company. The company had forecast earnings of about $3.00 per share back in August.

The challenges from unfriendly weather hit Scotts Miracle-Gro hard in the quarter ended July 2, as sales declined 10% to $1.06 billion.

The decline was driven primarily by poor weather across most of the United States throughout the duration of the lawn and garden season, as well as a more competitive promotional landscape and changes in certain retailer strategies within the mass merchandise channel, the Marysville, Ohio-based company said. 

Cleveland-based Sherwin-Williams has reported second-quarter net income of $179.1 million, down 1.4% from $181.7 million in the same quarter of 2010. Net sales for the second quarter ended June 30 totaled $2.36 billion, up 10% from $2.14 billion in the year-ago period.

Net income for the first six months of 2011 was $247.4 million, up 15% from $214.3 million in the same period of 2010. Net sales for this six-month period totaled $4.21 billion, up 13% from $3.71 billion in the year-ago period.

The country's second largest home center chain posted sales of $12.2 billion in its first quarter ended April 29. That's down 1.6% as the one-two punch of bad weather and the weak economy took its toll.

The company's earnings also declined -- down 5.7% to $461 million. Comparable-store sales were down 3.3%.

The Home Depot achieved its first year-over-year sales improvement since 2006, thanks partly to an "improving economy," according to CEO Frank Blake.

The Atlanta-based company posted 2010 sales of $68.0 billion, up 2.8% from 2009. Comparable-store sales for the company increased 2.9%. And in a difficult but improving economy, the world's largest home improvement retailer earned $3.3 billion, compared with consolidated net earnings of $2.7 billion in 2009.