D.R. Horton (DHI) Shares Gain On Q4 Earnings & Revenue Beat

D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI) reported better-than-expected results in fourth-quarter fiscal 2019, thanks to its industry-leading market share, broad geographic footprint and affordable product offerings across multiple brands. Notably, shares of the company gained 2.9% following the earnings release.

Earnings came in at $1.35 per share in the quarter, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.25 by 8%. The reported figure also increased 11% from the year-ago profit of $1.22 per share.

Revenue Discussion

Total revenues (Homebuilding, Forestar and Financial Services) came in at $5.04 billion, up 11.7% year over year. The reported figure also topped the consensus mark of $4.84 billion.

Home Closings and Orders

Homebuilding revenues of $4.84 billion increased 10.2% from the prior-year quarter. Home sales also increased 9.6% year over year to $4.79 billion, aided by higher home deliveries. Also, land/lot sales and other revenues were $42.8 million, increasing from $12.7 million a year ago.

Home closings increased 9% from the prior-year quarter to 16,024 homes and 10% in value to $4.8 billion. It recorded growth across regions comprising East, Midwest, Southeast, West and South Central, except Southwest.

Net sales orders increased 14% year over year to 13,130 homes, with improvement in East, Midwest, Southeast, South Central and West (barring Southwest). Value of net orders also improved 16% year over year to $4 billion. The cancellation rate was 23%, lower than 26% in the prior-year quarter.

Revenues from the Financial Services segment increased 32.3% from the year-ago level to $135.2 million. Forestar contributed $236.3 million to its quarterly revenues, reflecting an improvement from $32.2 million a year ago.

Margins

The company’s consolidated pre-tax margin contracted 40 basis points to 13.1% in the quarter from 13.5% a year ago.

Fiscal 2019 Highlights

Earnings came in at $4.29 per share for the fiscal year, increasing 13% year over year. Total revenues also grew 9.4% from a year ago to $17.59 billion. Notably, with 56,975 homes closed in fiscal 2019, D.R. Horton completed its 18th consecutive year as the largest homebuilder in the United States.

In fiscal 2019, homes closed increased 10% year over year to 56,975 units and 9% in value to $16.9 billion.

Balance Sheet

D.R. Horton’s cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash totaled $1,494.3 million as of Sep 30, 2019 compared with $1,473.1 million in the corresponding period of 2018.

Zacks Rank

Currently, D.R. Horton carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Recent Peer Releases

PulteGroup, Inc (NYSE:PHM) reported third-quarter 2019 results, with earnings and revenues beating the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. Higher demand owing to favorable housing dynamics — backed by lower interest rates and improved affordability — positively impacted its performance in the quarter.

NVR, Inc. (NYSE:NVR) reported solid results in third-quarter 2019. The company’s earnings not only surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate but also improved on a year-over-year basis.

Lennar Corporation (NYSE:LEN) reported better-than-expected results in third-quarter fiscal 2019 (ended Aug 31, 2019). The results mainly benefited from solid resurgence in demand for new homes, depicting a healthy economy and decline of borrowing costs.

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