The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) has reported second-quarter fiscal 2024 results, wherein earnings and sales surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Meanwhile, the company's top line showed slight year-over-year improvement in the second quarter of fiscal 2024. However, earnings per share declined year over year. In the quarter, the company continued to experience the adverse impacts of higher interest rates and greater macroeconomic uncertainty, further pressurizing the consumer demand for home improvement projects. However, Home Depot benefited from its store readiness and product assortments in stores and online. Nonetheless, HD is confident about its initiatives to strengthen the business. It has been on track with its investments to craft the best inter-connected experience for customers, improving the pro wallet through its unique ecosystem of capabilities and expanding stores. It is also optimistic about the future of the home improvement industry and its ability to expand market share in this space. Shares of Home Depot dipped 2.4% in the pre-market trading session on Aug 13 probably due to HD's soft fiscal 2024 forecasts for earnings per share and comps. The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company's shares have gained 1.6% in the past three months compared with the industry's rise of 0.2%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Q2 Details Home Depot's adjusted earnings of $4.67 per share declined 0.2% from $4.68 in the year-ago quarter. However, the bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.54. Net sales rose 0.6% to $43.2 billion from $42.9 billion in the year-ago quarter. Also, sales beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $42.6 billion. The company's sales included a $1.3-billion contribution from the recently completed acquisition of SRS Distribution Inc. The acquisition represented about six weeks of sales in the quarter. Home Depot's comparable sales fell 3.3% in the reported quarter. The company's comparable sales in the United States declined 3.6% in the fiscal second quarter. The comps decline resulted from a decrease ...