Home Depot Beats Estimates

Home Depot Inc.’s (HD) fiscal third-quarter earnings edged up 1.4% as the home-improvement-products retailer recorded strong revenue growth and slightly wider margins.  

Tuesday, Mr. Blake said results for the quarter “were better than we expected and reflected, in part, what we believe is the start of the path toward the healing of the housing market.” 

Same-store sales rose 4.2%, reflecting a 4.3% increase in the U.S. The average ticket was $54.55, a 2.9% rise from $53.03 a year earlier, while the number of customer transactions edged up 1.7%.