Toll Brothers Results Beat Forecasts
May 24 2016 - 8:00AM
Dow Jones News
Toll Brothers Inc. on Tuesday reported better-than-expected
profit and revenue in the second quarter, helped by higher pricing
and contracts, and signaled that market conditions could continue
to boost the luxury home builder's performance.
"We continue to believe the drivers are in place to sustain the
current housing market's slow but steady growth," said Robert I.
Toll, executive chairman. He pointed to low interest rates, rising
home equity values and constrained supply and said "the industry is
still not building enough homes to meet the demand that current
demographics imply are needed."
The company narrowed its annual revenue guidance to a range of
$4.76 billion to $5.36 billion; the previous projection was $4.6
billion to $5.4 billion. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters
predicted $5.01 billion, on average, in revenue for the year.
For the quarter ended April 30, Toll posted a profit of $89.1
million, or 51 cents a share, up from $67.9 million, or 37 cents a
share, in the year-prior period. Analysts surveyed by Thomson
Reuters were expecting earnings of 46 cents a share.
Revenue rose 31% to $1.12 billion. Analysts estimated $1.04
billion in revenue, according to FactSet.
Results in the second quarter were driven by growth in the West,
including Denver, Seattle, Reno and Las Vegas. On the East Coast,
the company pointed to solid results from New Jersey, Northern
Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
California was a weak spot for the quarter, with a decrease of
25% in units, hurt by what Chief Executive Douglas Yearley Jr.
called a "temporary lack of inventory for sale."
"We believe the California market is still strong," Mr. Yearley
said.
Revenue from Toll's City Living division, which builds urban
apartments, increased more than fourfold to $54 million. The
segment, much smaller than Toll's other units, represents a new
segment for the company as the U.S. continues to urbanize.
Backlog jumped 20% to $4.19 billion during the period as
contracts rose 3%.
In February, Toll Brothers said its eponymous vice chairman,
Bruce Toll, would retire from the company he co-founded with his
brother.
Robert and Bruce Toll started Toll Brothers in 1967 in
Pennsylvania. The company has focused on building more-customized
and higher-end homes than competitors. The brothers took the
company public in July 1986.
The homes in their first community in Chester County sold for an
average of $20,000. The company said the average price of a home
delivered in its second quarter was $855,500, up from $713,500 a
year ago.
Shares of Toll Brothers, which have fallen 28% to $27.10 over
the past 12 months, rose 3.3% to $28 in premarket trading.
Write to Joshua Jamerson at joshua.jamerson@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 24, 2016 07:45 ET (11:45 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Toll Brothers (NYSE:TOL)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Toll Brothers (NYSE:TOL)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024