# HOME DEPOT, INC. (HD) FY 2024 MD&A

Verbatim Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis from HOME DEPOT, INC.'s 10-K for fiscal year 2024.

SEC filing source: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/354950/000035495024000062/hd-20240128.htm
Accession: 0000354950-24-000062
Filing date: 2024-03-13
Report date: 2024-01-28
Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary.
Confidence: high

Company profile: /company/HD/
All MD&A years: /company/HD/mda/
Previous year: /company/HD/mda/fy2023/ (FY 2023)
Next year: /company/HD/mda/fy2025/ (FY 2025)

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following discussion provides an analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations from management's perspective and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in this report. The discussion in this Form 10-K generally focuses on fiscal 2023 compared to fiscal 2022. A discussion of our results of operations and changes in financial condition for fiscal 2022 compared to fiscal 2021 has been omitted from this report, but can be found in Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of our Form 10-K for fiscal 2022.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["Executive Summary","28"],["Results of Operations","28"],["Liquidity and Capital Resources","31"],["Critical Accounting Estimates","33"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["Fiscal 2023 Form 10-K","27"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

We reported net sales of $152.7 billion in fiscal 2023. Net earnings were $15.1 billion, or $15.11 per diluted share. During fiscal 2023, we opened eight new stores in the U.S. and five new stores in Mexico, resulting in a total store count of 2,335 at January 28, 2024. At the end of fiscal 2023, a total of 320 of our stores, or 13.7% of our total store count, were located in Canada and Mexico. Total sales per retail square foot were $604.55 in fiscal 2023. Our inventory turnover ratio was 4.3 times at the end of fiscal 2023, compared to 4.2 times at the end of fiscal 2022.

We generated $21.2 billion of cash flow from operations and issued $2.0 billion of long-term debt, net of discounts, during fiscal 2023. This cash flow, together with cash on hand, was used to fund cash payments of $8.4 billion for dividends and $8.0 billion for share repurchases. In addition, we invested $3.2 billion in capital expenditures and $1.5 billion in acquisitions, and we repaid $1.3 billion of long-term debt during fiscal 2023. In February 2024, we announced a 7.7% increase in our quarterly cash dividend to $2.25 per share.

Our ROIC was 36.7% for fiscal 2023 and 44.6% for fiscal 2022. The decrease in ROIC was primarily driven by lower operating income along with an increase in average long-term debt over the respective periods. See the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section below for our definition and calculation of ROIC, as well as a reconciliation of NOPAT, a non-GAAP financial measure, to net earnings (the most comparable GAAP financial measure).

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following table presents the percentage relationship between net sales and major categories in our consolidated statements of earnings:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","Fiscal","","Fiscal","","Fiscal"],["2023","","2022","","2021"],["dollars in millions","$","","% of Net Sales","","$","","% of Net Sales","","$","","% of Net Sales"],["Net sales","$","152,669","","","","","$","157,403","","","","","$","151,157"],["Gross profit","50,960","","","33.4","%","","52,778","","","33.5","%","","50,832","","","33.6","%"],["Operating expenses:"],["Selling, general and administrative","26,598","","","17.4","","","26,284","","","16.7","","","25,406","","","16.8"],["Depreciation and amortization","2,673","","","1.8","","","2,455","","","1.6","","","2,386","","","1.6"],["Total operating expenses","29,271","","","19.2","","","28,739","","","18.3","","","27,792","","","18.4"],["Operating income","21,689","","","14.2","","","24,039","","","15.3","","","23,040","","","15.2"],["Interest and other (income) expense:"],["Interest income and other, net","(178)","","","(0.1)","","","(55)","","","\u2014","","","(44)","","","\u2014"],["Interest expense","1,943","","","1.3","","","1,617","","","1.0","","","1,347","","","0.9"],["Interest and other, net","1,765","","","1.2","","","1,562","","","1.0","","","1,303","","","0.9"],["Earnings before provision for income taxes","19,924","","","13.1","","","22,477","","","14.3","","","21,737","","","14.4"],["Provision for income taxes","4,781","","","3.1","","","5,372","","","3.4","","","5,304","","","3.5"],["Net earnings","$","15,143","","","9.9","%","","$","17,105","","","10.9","%","","$","16,433","","","10.9","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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Note: Certain percentages may not sum to totals due to rounding. 

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","","% Change"],["Selected financial and sales data:","Fiscal","","Fiscal","","Fiscal","","Fiscal","","Fiscal"],["2023","","2022","","2021","","2023 vs. 2022","","2022 vs. 2021"],["Comparable sales (% change)","(3.2)","%","","3.1","%","","11.4","%","","N/A","","N/A"],["Comparable customer transactions (% change) (1)","(2.9)","%","","(5.4)","%","","(0.1)","%","","N/A","","N/A"],["Comparable average ticket (% change) (1)","(0.3)","%","","8.8","%","","11.7","%","","N/A","","N/A"],["Customer transactions (in millions) (1)","1,621.8","","1,666.4","","1,759.7","","(2.7)","%","","(5.3)","%"],["Average ticket (1) (2)","$90.07","","$90.36","","$83.04","","(0.3)","%","","8.8","%"],["Sales per retail square foot (1) (3)","$604.55","","$627.17","","$604.74","","(3.6)","%","","3.7","%"],["Diluted earnings per share","$15.11","","$16.69","","$15.53","","(9.5)","%","","7.5","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["Fiscal 2023 Form 10-K","28"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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(1)Does not include results for HD Supply.

(2)Average ticket represents the average price paid per transaction and is used by management to monitor the performance of the Company, as it represents a primary driver in measuring sales performance.

(3)Sales per retail square foot represents sales divided by retail store square footage. Sales per retail square foot is a measure of the efficiency of sales based on the total square footage of our stores and is used by management to monitor the performance of the Company’s retail operations as an indicator of the productivity of owned and leased square footage for these retail operations.

FISCAL 2023 COMPARED TO FISCAL 2022

Sales

We assess our sales performance by evaluating both net sales and comparable sales.

Net Sales. Net sales for fiscal 2023 decreased $4.7 billion, or 3.0%, to $152.7 billion. The decrease in net sales for fiscal 2023 primarily reflects the impact of a negative comparable sales environment, primarily driven by a decrease in comparable customer transactions as well as the impact from lumber price deflation.

Online sales, which consist of sales generated online through our websites and mobile applications for products picked up at our stores or delivered to customer locations, represented 14.8% of net sales and increased by 1.1% during fiscal 2023 compared to fiscal 2022.

A weaker U.S. dollar positively impacted net sales by $276 million in fiscal 2023.

Comparable Sales. Comparable sales is a measure that highlights the performance of our existing locations and websites by measuring the change in net sales for a period over the comparable prior period of equivalent length. Comparable sales includes sales at all locations, physical and online, open greater than 52 weeks (including remodels and relocations) and excludes closed stores. Retail stores become comparable on the Monday following their 52nd week of operation. Acquisitions are typically included in comparable sales after they have been owned for more than 52 weeks. Comparable sales is intended only as supplemental information and is not a substitute for net sales presented in accordance with GAAP.

Total comparable sales decreased 3.2% in fiscal 2023, reflecting a 2.9% decrease in comparable customer transactions and a 0.3% decrease in comparable average ticket compared to fiscal 2022. The decrease in comparable customer transactions reflects the impact of macroeconomic factors, including the continued shift in consumer consumption trends away from goods and towards services and the impact of a higher interest rate environment, pressuring home improvement demand. The decrease in comparable average ticket reflects U.S. commodity price deflation, which negatively impacted average ticket by approximately 145 basis points, driven primarily by lumber. This was partially offset by inflation across several product categories, which slowed relative to prior years, along with demand for new and innovative products.

For fiscal 2023, four of our 14 merchandising departments—Building Materials, Outdoor Garden, Hardware, and Plumbing—posted positive comparable sales compared to fiscal 2022. All of our other merchandising departments posted negative comparable sales during fiscal 2023 compared to fiscal 2022, with our Lumber department posting a double-digit comparable sales decline primarily resulting from lumber price deflation, partially offset by higher unit sales.

Gross Profit

Gross profit decreased $1.8 billion, or 3.4%, to $51.0 billion in fiscal 2023. Gross profit as a percent of net sales, or gross profit margin, was 33.4% in fiscal 2023 compared to 33.5% in fiscal 2022. The decrease in gross profit margin primarily reflects price stabilization as well as reduction and optimization of our inventory position, partially offset by lower supply chain costs.

While we continue to experience shrink above historical averages, year-over-year pressure to gross profit margin from shrink decreased as we moved through fiscal 2023. As a result, shrink did not have a significant impact on our gross profit margin in fiscal 2023 compared to fiscal 2022.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses are composed of SG&A and depreciation and amortization.

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["Fiscal 2023 Form 10-K","29"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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Selling, General & Administrative. SG&A increased $314 million, or 1.2%, to $26.6 billion in fiscal 2023. As a percent of net sales, SG&A was 17.4% in fiscal 2023 compared to 16.7% in fiscal 2022, primarily reflecting deleverage from a negative comparable sales environment along with previously executed wage investments for hourly associates, partially offset by the one-time benefit from the favorable settlement of litigation with a vendor as well as lower incentive compensation.

Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation and amortization increased $218 million, or 8.9%, to $2.7 billion in fiscal 2023. As a percent of net sales, depreciation and amortization was 1.8% in fiscal 2023 compared to 1.6% in fiscal 2022, primarily reflecting increased depreciation expense from ongoing investments in the business and deleverage from a negative comparable sales environment.

Interest and Other, net

Interest and other, net increased $203 million, or 13.0%, to $1.8 billion in fiscal 2023. As a percent of net sales, interest and other, net, was 1.2% in fiscal 2023 compared to 1.0% in fiscal 2022, primarily due to increased variable rate interest on floating-rate debt resulting from interest rate swaps, higher average debt balances, and deleverage from a negative comparable sales environment, partially offset by higher interest income.

Provision for Income Taxes

Our combined effective income tax rate was 24.0% in fiscal 2023 compared to 23.9% in fiscal 2022.

Diluted Earnings per Share

Diluted earnings per share were $15.11 in fiscal 2023 compared to $16.69 in fiscal 2022. The decrease in diluted earnings per share for fiscal 2023 was primarily driven by lower net earnings during fiscal 2023, partially offset by lower diluted shares due to share repurchases.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

To provide clarity on our operating performance, we supplement our reporting with certain non-GAAP financial measures. However, this supplemental information should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the related GAAP measures. Non-GAAP financial measures presented herein may differ from similar measures used by other companies.

Return on Invested Capital

We believe ROIC is meaningful for investors and management because it measures how effectively we deploy our capital base. We define ROIC as NOPAT, a non-GAAP financial measure, for the most recent twelve-month period, divided by average debt and equity. We define average debt and equity as the average of beginning and ending long-term debt (including current installments) and equity for the most recent twelve-month period.

The following table presents the calculation of ROIC, together with a reconciliation of NOPAT to net earnings (the most comparable GAAP measure):

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","Fiscal","","Fiscal","","Fiscal"],["dollars in millions","2023","","2022","","2021"],["Net earnings","$","15,143","","","$","17,105","","","$","16,433"],["Interest and other, net","1,765","","","1,562","","","1,303"],["Provision for income taxes","4,781","","","5,372","","","5,304"],["Operating income","21,689","","","24,039","","","23,040"],["Income tax adjustment (1)","(5,205)","","","(5,745)","","","(5,622)"],["NOPAT","$","16,484","","","$","18,294","","","$","17,418"],["Average debt and equity","$","44,955","","","$","41,055","","","$","38,946"],["ROIC","36.7","%","","44.6","%","","44.7","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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(1)Income tax adjustment is defined as operating income multiplied by our effective tax rate for the trailing twelve months.

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["Fiscal 2023 Form 10-K","30"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

At January 28, 2024, we had $3.8 billion in cash and cash equivalents, of which $1.0 billion was held by our foreign subsidiaries. We believe that our current cash position, cash flow generated from operations, funds available from our commercial paper program, and access to the long-term debt capital markets should be sufficient not only for our operating requirements, any required debt payments, and satisfaction of other contractual obligations, but also to enable us to invest in the business, fund dividend payments, and fund any share repurchases through the next several fiscal years. In addition, we believe we have the ability to obtain alternative sources of financing, if necessary.

Our material cash requirements include contractual and other obligations arising in the normal course of business. These obligations primarily include long-term debt and related interest payments, operating and finance lease obligations, and purchase obligations. In addition to our cash requirements, we follow a disciplined approach to capital allocation. This approach first prioritizes investing in the business, followed by paying dividends, with the intent of then returning excess cash to shareholders in the form of share repurchases. During fiscal 2023, we invested approximately $3.2 billion back into our business in the form of capital expenditures. Additionally, we invested approximately $1.5 billion on three acquisitions during fiscal 2023, accelerating our strategic initiatives and providing us with better capabilities to serve our customers.

For fiscal 2024, in line with our expectation of approximately two percent of net sales on an annual basis, we plan to invest approximately $3.0 billion to $3.5 billion back into our business in the form of capital expenditures, with investments focused on new stores and improving the customer experience, including through technology and development of other differentiated capabilities. However, we may adjust our capital expenditures to support the operations of the business, to enhance long-term strategic positioning, or in response to the economic environment, as necessary or appropriate.

During fiscal 2023, we paid cash dividends of $8.4 billion to shareholders. In February 2024, we announced a 7.7% increase in our quarterly cash dividend from $2.09 to $2.25 per share. We intend to pay a dividend in the future; however, any future dividend is subject to declaration by the Board of Directors based on our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition, and other factors considered relevant by our Board of Directors.

In August 2023, our Board of Directors approved a $15.0 billion share repurchase authorization that replaced the previous authorization of $15.0 billion, which was approved in August 2022. The August 2023 authorization does not have a prescribed expiration date. As of January 28, 2024, approximately $12.3 billion of the $15.0 billion share repurchase authorization remained available. During fiscal 2023, we had cash payments of $8.0 billion for repurchases of our common stock through open market purchases.

DEBT

We have a commercial paper program that allows for borrowings up to $5.0 billion. In connection with our program, we have back-up credit facilities with a consortium of banks for borrowings up to $5.0 billion, which consist of a five-year $3.5 billion credit facility scheduled to expire in July 2027 and a 364-day $1.5 billion credit facility scheduled to expire in July 2024. In July 2023, we completed the renewal of our 364-day $1.5 billion credit facility, extending the maturity from July 2023 to July 2024. All of our short-term borrowings during fiscal 2023 were under our commercial paper program, and the maximum amount outstanding at any time was $1.5 billion. At January 28, 2024, we had no outstanding borrowings under this program, and we were in compliance with all of the covenants contained in our credit facilities, none of which are expected to impact our liquidity or capital resources.

We also issue senior notes from time to time as part of our capital management strategy. In November 2023, we issued $2.0 billion of senior notes. The net proceeds were used for general corporate purposes, including the repayment of our 3.75% senior notes due February 15, 2024 and repurchases of shares of our common stock. In April 2023, we repaid $1.0 billion of senior notes at maturity. At January 28, 2024, we had an aggregate principal amount of senior notes outstanding of $42.2 billion, with $1.1 billion payable within 12 months. Future interest payments associated with these senior notes total $23.7 billion, with $1.7 billion payable within 12 months, based on current interest rates, which include the impact of our active interest rate swap agreements.

The indentures governing our senior notes do not generally limit our ability to incur additional indebtedness or require us to maintain financial ratios or specified levels of net worth or liquidity. The indentures governing the notes contain various customary covenants; however, none are expected to impact our liquidity or capital resources. See Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of our debt arrangements.

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["Fiscal 2023 Form 10-K","31"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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LEASES

We use operating and finance leases largely to obtain a portion of our real estate, including our stores, distribution centers, and store support centers. At January 28, 2024, we had aggregate remaining lease payment obligations of $14.6 billion, with $1.7 billion payable within 12 months. Aggregate lease obligations include approximately $450 million of obligations related to leases not yet commenced. See Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of our operating and finance leases.

PURCHASE OBLIGATIONS AND OTHER

Purchase obligations include all legally binding contracts such as firm commitments for inventory purchases, media and sponsorship spend, software and license commitments, and legally binding service contracts. We issue inventory purchase orders in the ordinary course of business, which are typically cancellable by their terms, therefore we do not consider purchase orders that are cancellable to be firm inventory commitments. At January 28, 2024, we had aggregate purchase obligations of $2.5 billion, with $1.0 billion payable within 12 months.

At January 28, 2024, we had aggregate liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits totaling $689 million, of which approximately $25 million are expected to be paid in the next 12 months. The timing of payment, if any, associated with our long-term unrecognized tax benefit liabilities is unknown. See Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of our unrecognized tax benefits.

We have no material off-balance sheet arrangements.

CASH FLOWS SUMMARY

Operating Activities

Cash flow generated from operations provides us with a significant source of liquidity. Our operating cash flows result primarily from cash received from our customers, offset by cash payments we make for products and services, associate compensation, operations, occupancy costs, and income taxes. Cash provided by or used in operating activities is also subject to changes in working capital. Working capital at any point in time is subject to many variables, including seasonality, inventory management and category expansion, the timing of cash receipts and payments, vendor payment terms, and fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.

Net cash provided by operating activities increased by $6.6 billion in fiscal 2023 compared to fiscal 2022, primarily driven by changes in working capital, partially offset by a decrease in net earnings. Changes in working capital were primarily driven by lower inventory purchases in fiscal 2023 relative to fiscal 2022, as well as timing of vendor payments. Inventory levels normalized in fiscal 2023 as we adjusted purchasing activity to align with demand and continued to sell through existing inventory.

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["Fiscal 2023 Form 10-K","32"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities increased by $1.6 billion in fiscal 2023 compared to fiscal 2022, primarily resulting from cash paid for acquired businesses as well as increased capital expenditures primarily due to investments in new store growth. See Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of acquisitions.

Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities in fiscal 2023 primarily reflected $8.4 billion of cash dividends paid, $8.0 billion of share repurchases, and $1.3 billion of repayments of long-term debt, partially offset by $2.0 billion of net proceeds from long-term debt.

Cash used in financing activities in fiscal 2022 primarily reflected $7.8 billion of cash dividends paid, $6.7 billion of share repurchases, $2.5 billion of repayments of long-term debt, and $1.0 billion of net repayments of short-term debt, partially offset by $6.9 billion of net proceeds from long-term debt.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires that we make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Our significant accounting policies are disclosed in Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements. The following discussion addresses our most critical accounting estimates, which are those that are both important to the representation of our financial condition and results of operations, and that require significant judgment or use of significant assumptions or complex estimates.

MERCHANDISE INVENTORIES

We value the majority of our inventory under the retail inventory method, with the remainder of our inventories valued under a cost method, primarily the first-in, first-out method. Under the retail inventory method, inventories are stated at cost, which is determined by applying a cost-to-retail ratio to the retail value of inventories.

The retail value of our inventory is adjusted as needed to reflect current market conditions. Because these adjustments are based on current prevailing market conditions, the value of our inventory approximates the lower of cost or market. The valuation under the retail inventory method is based on a number of factors such as markups, markdowns, and inventory losses (or shrink). As such, there exists an inherent uncertainty in the final determination of inventory cost and gross profit. We determine markups and markdowns based on the consideration of a variety of factors such as current and anticipated demand, customer preferences and buying trends, age of the merchandise, and weather conditions.

We calculate shrink based on actual inventory losses identified as a result of physical inventory counts during each fiscal period and estimated inventory losses between physical inventory counts. The estimate for shrink occurring in the interim period between physical inventory counts is calculated on a store-specific basis and is primarily based on recent shrink results. A 10% increase in the shrink rate used to estimate our inventory shrink reserve would have increased cost of sales by approximately $104 million for fiscal 2023. Historically, the difference between estimated shrink and actual inventory losses has not been material to our annual financial results.

We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood of a material change in the estimates or assumptions we use to value our inventory under the retail inventory method. We believe that the retail inventory method provides an inventory valuation which approximates cost and results in valuing our inventory at the lower of cost or market.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For information on our accounting policies and on accounting pronouncements that have impacted or are expected to materially impact our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows, see Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements.

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["Fiscal 2023 Form 10-K","33"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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