Home improvement retailer The Home Depot (NYSE:HD) could be a gauge for the do-it-yourself growth in the era of high home prices and mortgage rates when the company reports first-quarter financial results Tuesday before market open.

Here are the earnings estimates, what experts are saying ahead of the report, and the key items to watch for.

Earnings Estimates: Analysts expect the company to report first-quarter revenue of $39.33 billion, up from $36.42 billion in last year’s first quarter, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

The company has beaten analyst estimates for revenue in two straight quarters and six of the last 10 quarters overall.

Analysts expect the company to report first-quarter earnings per share of $3.60, down from $3.63 in last year’s first quarter. The company has beaten analyst estimates for earnings per share in more than 10 straight quarters overall.

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What Experts Are Saying: While Home Depot showed signs of improvement in April, the delay of the Spring season could lead to lower comparable sales, JPMorgan analyst Christopher Horvers said in a recent investor note.

The analyst reiterated an Overweight rating on Home Depot and lowered the price target from $470 to $410.

Horvers is cautious on the company’s gross margins for the quarter, while seeing positives like inventory shrink likely coming in the report.

The analyst said macro economic uncertainty will also likely weigh on higher-ticket spending in the report and the future. Horvers said the home improvement retailer will likely keep its guidance in place and revisit things after the second quarter report.

Freedom Capital Markets Chief Global Strategist Jay Woods said Home Depot’s report comes as the stock has struggled year-to-date.

“Home Depot results will give a peek at how the DIY home retail investor is changing their spending habits,” Woods said in a weekly newsletter.

Woods said investors will be looking to see if Home Depot revises its guidance given higher interest rates and economic challenges.

Goldman Sachs analyst Kate McShane has a Buy rating on Home Depot and $421 price target ahead of the report.

The analyst said the company won’t be widely impacted by tariffs in the short term, with most of its imported goods being seasonal and spring merchandise already in inventory at stores.

In the past, Home Depot helped offset tariff impacts by sourcing alternative items and adjusting operations, McShane said in the note.

The analyst highlighted Home Depot’s management commentary about home buyers likely sidelined with rates in the 6% to 6.5% range.

Here are other analyst ratings on Home Depot and their price targets:

• Wells Fargo: Maintained Overweight rating, lowered price target from $445 to $420
• Truist: Maintained Buy rating, raised price target from $391 to $393
• Morgan Stanley: Maintained Overweight rating, lowered price target from $450 to $410

Key Items to Watch: Tariffs will likely be one of the biggest topics to watch for, as many retailers have commented on what the impact of higher import prices could mean. Given the potential impact of tariffs and macroeconomic concerns, guidance will be closely watched.

Home Depot CEO Ted Decker was among the retail CEOs who met with President Donald Trump to share concerns about the impact tariffs could have on the sector.

Investors and analysts will be watching to see if Home Depot can maintain its momentum from the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, sales were up 14.1% year over year, and customer transactions were up 7.6% year over year.

A recent Placer.ai report indicates that Home Depot saw fewer visits during the first quarter. The report said visits to Home Depot fell 3.8% in the first quarter on a year-over-year basis. The report showed visits down 2.3%, 9.2% and 0.7% in the months of January, February and March respectively.

Visits were down 1.8% year-over-year in April, which could factor into second-quarter and full-year guidance. Placer.ai said the good news is that last year’s peak weekly visits came in mid-May, which could be a sign of optimism for the current quarter.

Home Depot’s report comes one day before rival Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW), which reports on Wednesday. The report from Home Depot could make Lowe’s shares volatile as they operate in the same sector and could indicate what’s to come in Lowe’s report.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average could also be volatile following Home Depot’s report. Home Depot is one of the 30 components of the closely watched market index. Since the Dow Jones is price-weighted, Home Depot is one of the larger components and currently the third largest weighting (5.5%) of the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (NYSE:DIA).

Higher mortgage rates have often helped home improvement retailers, as they lead to more do-it-yourself home projects and spending money on existing homes rather than buying a new one.

HD Price Action: Home Depot stock trades at $379.91 Monday versus a 52-week trading range of $323.77 to $439.37. Home Depot stock is down 2.2% year-to-date and up 12.5% over the last year, outpacing a 4.5% year-to-date decline and 2.8% one-year gain for rival Lowe’s.

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Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) will report its fiscal third-quarter results on Thursday, May 22.

This is a tax-heavy quarter. That’s a “validation opportunity” for the company’s strategic initiatives, according to Goldman Sachs.

Execution “proof-points” can reinforce investor confidence in long-term growth durability, according to analyst Kash Rangan.

The Intuit Analyst: Rangan maintained a Buy rating and price target of $750.

The Intuit Thesis: The Mountain View, California-based firm, known for its financial technology platform, is likely to report revenue growth of 13% and consumer growth of 10%. These projections beat consensus estimates of 12% and +9%, respectively, Rangan said.

Check out other analyst stock ratings.

These results are “supported by IRS data showing assisted tax volume’s accelerating growth (+1.7% vs. +0.6% in 2024), a category where Intuit is seeing product-market-fit and driving adoption as a price-disruptor,” he added.

“With assisted solutions now in their fifth year (~30% of Consumer), we expect solid execution driven by targeted campaigns showing healthy reception and pipeline conversion, better-integrated product portfolio, and AI-led investments enhancing platform engagement, all of which should prove conducive to Intuit’s market positioning in tax,” the analyst wrote.

DIY volume growth has been muted in the industry. However, it does not pose much risk for intuit, the analyst added. The company is gaining market share with refined promotion strategies, Rangan stated.

Beyond tax, Intuit’s broader software is witnessing citing stable demand from small and medium businesses, he added.

INTU Price Action: Shares of Intuit had risen by 0.13% to $671.18 at the time of publication on Monday.

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Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE:TOL) will release its second-quarter earnings results after the closing bell on Tuesday, May 20.

Analysts expect the Fort Washington, Pennsylvania-based company to report quarterly earnings at $2.86 per share, down from $4.75 per share in the year-ago period. Toll Brothers projects to report quarterly revenue at $2.49 billion, compared to $2.84 billion a year earlier, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

On May 15, Oppenheimer analyst Tyler Batory maintained Toll Brothers with an Outperform rating and lowered the price target from $165 to $155.

With the recent buzz around Toll Brothers, some investors may be eyeing potential gains from the company’s dividends too. As of now, Toll Brothers offers an annual dividend yield of 0.93%. That’s a quarterly dividend of 25 cents per share ($1.00 a year).  

So, how can investors exploit its dividend yield to pocket a regular $500 monthly?

To earn $500 per month or $6,000 annually from dividends alone, you would need an investment of approximately $643,560 or around 6,000 shares. For a more modest $100 per month or $1,200 per year, you would need $128,712 or around 1,200 shares.

To calculate: Divide the desired annual income ($6,000 or $1,200) by the dividend ($1.00 in this case). So, $6,000 / $1.00 = 6,000 ($500 per month), and $1,200 / $1.00 = 1,200 shares ($100 per month).

Note that dividend yield can change on a rolling basis, as the dividend payment and the stock price both fluctuate over time.

How that works: The dividend yield is computed by dividing the annual dividend payment by the stock’s current price.

For example, if a stock pays an annual dividend of $2 and is currently priced at $50, the dividend yield would be 4% ($2/$50). However, if the stock price increases to $60, the dividend yield drops to 3.33% ($2/$60). Conversely, if the stock price falls to $40, the dividend yield rises to 5% ($2/$40).

Similarly, changes in the dividend payment can impact the yield. If a company increases its dividend, the yield will also increase, provided the stock price stays the same. Conversely, if the dividend payment decreases, so will the yield.

TOL Price Action: Shares of Toll Brothers gained 0.8% to close at $107.26 on Friday.

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Gainers

Symbol	Name	Price	Change ($)	Change (%)	Volume
(NYSE:XLV)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Health Care	133.17	0.08	0.06	30.6K

Losers

Symbol	Name	Price	Change ($)	Change (%)	Volume
(NYSE:XLY)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Consumer Discretionary	214.3500	-3.320	-1.53	12.0K
(NYSE:XLK)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Technology	231.4000	-3.490	-1.49	111.4K
(NYSE:XLC)	The Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund	100.4400	-1.340	-1.32	3.8K
(NYSE:XLI)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Industrial	142.3217	-1.458	-1.02	2.7K
(NYSE:XLRE)	Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (The)	41.6300	-0.380	-0.91	1.9K
(NYSE:XLU)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Utilities	81.5100	-0.670	-0.82	67.7K
(NYSE:XLF)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Financial	51.2500	-0.340	-0.66	585.2K
(NYSE:XLE)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Energy Select Sector	84.9900	-0.490	-0.58	47.1K
(NYSE:XLB)	Materials Select Sector SPDR	86.6300	-0.420	-0.49	1.8K
(NYSE:XLP)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Consumer Staples	81.8900	-0.180	-0.22	78.2K

Pulled from Benzinga Pro data this sector movers alerts can help traders understand macro-level market trends. Traders often look for sector movers to provide high-level analysis on which sectors are over- or under-performing to make better investing decisions on exchange traded funds (ETFs) or individual tickers in those sectors.

To read more about sector movers, click here.

As of May 16, 2025, three stocks in the consumer discretionary sector could be flashing a real warning to investors who value momentum as a key criteria in their trading decisions.

The RSI is a momentum indicator, which compares a stock’s strength on days when prices go up to its strength on days when prices go down. When compared to a stock’s price action, it can give traders a better sense of how a stock may perform in the short term. An asset is typically considered overbought when the RSI is above 70, according to Benzinga Pro.

Here’s the latest list of major overbought players in this sector.

Leggett & Platt Inc (NYSE:LEG)

• On April 28, Leggett & Platt reported better-than-expected first-quarter EPS results and raised its FY25 EPS guidance. President and CEO Karl Glassman commented, “We are pleased to report better than anticipated first quarter earnings. Our earnings improvement is a testament to the excellent execution of our restructuring plan and operational efficiency improvement initiatives, as well as disciplined cost management.” The company’s stock jumped around 46% over the past month and has a 52-week high of $14.24.
• RSI Value: 70.2                                
• LEG Price Action: Shares of Leggett & Platt gained 0.8% to close at $9.55 on Thursday.
• Edge Stock Ratings: 23.09 Momentum score with Value at 14.19.

Fossil Group Inc (NASDAQ:FOSL)

• On May 14, Fossil Group reported a year-over-year increase in first-quarter adjusted EPS results. “We are pleased to deliver another quarter of progress under our turnaround plan,” said Franco Fogliato, CEO. The company’s stock gained around 59% over the past month and has a 52-week high of $2.61.
• RSI Value: 80.2
• FOSL Price Action: Shares of Fossil gained 15.9% to close at $1.46 on Thursday.

Laureate Education Inc (NASDAQ:LAUR)

• On May 1, Laureate Education reported better-than-expected first-quarter financial results and raised its FY25 sales guidance. The company’s stock gained around 17% over the past month and has a 52-week high of $23.61.
• RSI Value: 72.5
• LAUR Price Action: Shares of Laureate Education gained 0.7% to close at $22.64 on Thursday.

Curious about other BZ Edge Rankings? Click here to discover how similar stocks measure up.

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Gainers

Symbol	Name	Price	Change ($)	Change (%)	Volume
(NYSE:XLV)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Health Care	131.0900	0.63	0.48	35.5K
(NYSE:XLU)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Utilities	81.3200	0.33	0.40	2.0K
(NYSE:XLB)	Materials Select Sector SPDR	86.4899	0.32	0.37	603
(NYSE:XLY)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Consumer Discretionary	216.4300	0.80	0.37	4.7K
(NYSE:XLE)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Energy Select Sector	85.8800	0.27	0.31	67.6K
(NYSE:XLI)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Industrial	142.6000	0.44	0.30	2.4K
(NYSE:XLF)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Financial	51.3500	0.07	0.13	69.5K
(NYSE:XLC)	The Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund	101.2200	0.13	0.12	28.1K
(NYSE:XLK)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Technology	234.7500	0.30	0.12	120.5K
(NYSE:XLP)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Consumer Staples	81.2000	0.06	0.07	11.2K
(NYSE:XLRE)	Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (The)	41.5200	0.03	0.07	1.0K

No loser in today’s Pre-market session.

Pulled from Benzinga Pro data this sector movers alerts can help traders understand macro-level market trends. Traders often look for sector movers to provide high-level analysis on which sectors are over- or under-performing to make better investing decisions on exchange traded funds (ETFs) or individual tickers in those sectors.

For more information on sector movers, click here.

Gainers

Symbol	Name	Price	Change ($)	Change (%)	Volume
(NYSE:XLP)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Consumer Staples	79.70	0.19	0.23	3.6K
(NYSE:XLU)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Utilities	79.39	0.09	0.11	5.9K

Losers

Symbol	Name	Price	Change ($)	Change (%)	Volume
(NYSE:XLE)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Energy Select Sector	84.47	-0.78	-0.92	153.2K
(NYSE:XLY)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Consumer Discretionary	215.00	-1.11	-0.52	7.0K
(NYSE:XLK)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Technology	233.00	-1.13	-0.49	66.5K
(NYSE:XLRE)	Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (The)	40.61	-0.13	-0.32	210
(NYSE:XLI)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Industrial	140.28	-0.32	-0.23	4.8K
(NYSE:XLF)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Financial	50.83	-0.11	-0.22	170.6K
(NYSE:XLV)	SPDR Select Sector Fund – Health Care	128.70	-0.07	-0.06	19.2K

Pulled from Benzinga Pro data the above sector movers alert assists traders in understanding macro-level trends and market variations. Traders will look for sector movers providing information on sectors that are over- or under-performing, deriving these results into investing decisions on exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or individual tickers in those sectors.

For more information on sector movers, click here.

Arch Capital Group (NASDAQ:ACGL) has outperformed the market over the past 20 years by 7.5% on an annualized basis producing an average annual return of 15.77%. Currently, Arch Capital Group has a market capitalization of $34.05 billion.

Buying $1000 In ACGL: If an investor had bought $1000 of ACGL stock 20 years ago, it would be worth $18,646.52 today based on a price of $90.85 for ACGL at the time of writing.

Arch Capital Group’s Performance Over Last 20 Years

Finally — what’s the point of all this? The key insight to take from this article is to note how much of a difference compounded returns can make in your cash growth over a period of time.

This article was generated by Benzinga’s automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.

Retailer Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT) may provide a better picture of the impact of tariffs on consumers when the company reports first-quarter financial results before market open Thursday.

Here are the analyst estimates, a look at what experts are saying ahead of the report and key items to watch.

Earnings Estimates: Analysts expect Walmart to report first-quarter revenue of $165.88 billion. That’s up from $161.51 billion in last year’s first quarter, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

The company has beaten analyst estimates for revenue in more than 10 straight quarters.

Analysts expect Walmart to report earnings per share of 58 cents, down from 60 cents per share in Q1 2024.

The company has beaten analyst estimates for earnings per share in five straight quarters and nine of the last ten quarters overall. The lone non-beat was earnings in line with estimates.

The company’s guidance calls for first-quarter sales to be up 3% to 4% year over year. Earnings per share range between 57 cents and 58 cents.

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What Experts Are Saying: In a recent note, Telsey Advisory analyst Joseph Feldman said Walmart could benefit from grocery market share gains and improving e-commerce progress in the first quarter.

The analyst maintained an Outperform rating and price target for $115.

Feldman said Walmart could gain wallet share from several groups, including higher-income consumers. The analyst said Amazon and Costco showed trends of first-quarter sales being stronger for categories like electronics.

Feldman said Walmart should navigate the uncertain macroeconomic environment effectively.

Bank of America analyst Robert Ohmes said Walmart is well-equipped to handle tariffs with its pricing and automation strategies, inventory management and strong supplier relationships.

The analyst maintained a Buy rating with a $120 price target ahead of the quarterly earnings.

Ohmes said Walmart’s groceries are less likely to be impacted by tariffs.

Freedom Capital Markets Chief Global Strategist Jay Woods highlighted the importance of Walmart’s financial results for the market in his weekly newsletter.

“Walmart could be one of the most telling stocks when it comes to tariff impacts when they report on Thursday,” Woods said.

Woods said Walmart was cautious with guidance after the last quarter.

“Investors will be closely watching this report for strategies on managing tariff-related challenges, maintaining competitive pricing, and supply chain issues that may make stocking shelves more of a challenge.”

Key Items to Watch: Tariffs commentary will undoubtedly be the biggest item in Walmart’s earnings and conference call.

Outside of tariffs, investors and analysts could also look at commentary on the company’s Walmart+ membership program. The subscription-based service was responsible for around 50% of online spending in the U.S. last fiscal year. This could make it a strong source of ecommerce and recurring revenue.

A report said the program is seeing increased spending per subscriber and also higher shopping frequency rates from subscribers.

Walmart+ has also helped the retailer post 11 consecutive quarters of double-digit online sales growth in the United States.

Global e-commerce sales were up 16% year-over-year in Q4; this will be a key area to watch in Q1.

WMT Price Action: Walmart stock was up 1.3% to $97.11 on Wednesday versus a 52-week trading range of $59.47 to $105.30. Walmart stock is up 7.9% year-to-date in 2025 and up over 60% in the last year.

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Image: Shutterstock

Cruise line stocks are historically among the strongest seasonal performers in the S&P 500 heading into the second half of May, with Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE:RCL), Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NCLH) and Carnival Corp. (NYSE:CCL) averaging double-digit returns over a three-week window.

Historical data from Seasonax platforms shows that from May 14 to early June, these three stocks have consistently outperformed over the past decade, with average gains north of 10%.

Among all S&P 500 constituents, they rank at the very top for late-spring seasonality. Seasonal strength is typically fueled by ramping summer demand, strong forward bookings, and an uptick in consumer travel spending ahead of peak vacation months.

Here are the top five S&P 500 stocks by average return in a three-week period starting from May 14:

Stock	Avg. Return (Last 10 years)	Max Profit	Max Loss	Win Rate	Pattern Dates
Norwegian Cruise Line	+13.75%	+149.63%	-6.59%	5/10	May 14 – Jun 7
Caesars Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ:CZR)	+11.98%	+102.49%	-0.11%	9/10	May 14 – Jun 6
Royal Caribbean	+11.52%	+113.71%	-7.48%	6/10	May 14 – Jun 6
Carnival Corp.	+11.28%	+103.02%	-5.19%	5/10	May 14 – Jun 6
Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA)	+10.69%	+88.13%	-4.95%	8/10	May 14 – Jun 7

RCL Sees Strong Summer Bookings

In a note from late April, Goldman Sachs analyst Lizzie Dove pointed to a strong reversal in booking momentum despite broader macro uncertainty and uneven travel data across the sector.

April bookings at RCL exceeded the same month last year, while close-in bookings remained firm.

The company also reported stronger-than-usual onboard spending and pre-cruise purchases. Forward bookings for 2026 were tracking in line with 2024 levels but at higher prices—a sign of pricing power in an inflation-sensitive market.

With approximately 86% of the 2025 cruise calendar already booked, Dove’s team raised their estimates and lifted the stock’s price target from $245 to $260. However, they retained a slightly more cautious tone in 2026, pending more clarity on consumer resilience.

Since hitting tariff-driven lows on April 9, shares of RCL have surged 50% through mid-May —more than twice the gain of the S&P 500. CCL shares matched the performance during the same period.

NCLH Flags Demand Softness Amid Macro Pressures

In contrast, Norwegian Cruise Line is facing a different set of conditions.

In early May, Bank of America analyst Andrew Didora highlighted NCLH as the first in the group to show softness in its 12-month forward-booked position.

While this wasn’t viewed as unexpected—given the macro backdrop, consumer sentiment, and fare discounts introduced under the Oceania brand—it raised questions about forward pricing discipline across the cruise industry. Didora added that weakening demand isn’t isolated to NCLH, and other operators may be seeing similar dynamics.

BofA cut its 2025 and 2026 EPS forecasts for NCLH by 3% and 2%, now expecting $2.07 and $2.53, respectively. It revised the price objective down from $23 to $20 while maintaining a Neutral rating on concerns around leverage and top-line pressures.

Shares of NCLH have rallied 36% since April lows, underperforming versus peers.

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