Home Depot Quarterly Profit Rises 53 Percent

401852 04: Sales associate Ernesto Martinez, left, assists contractors through a check-out line at a Home Depot store March 4, 2002 in Mount Prospect, IL. Home Depot Inc. posted a 53 percent increase in fiscal fourth-quarter profit as a strong U.S. housing market, mild weather and store discounts spurred home-improvement sales. The worlds largest home-improvement retailer also said it expected to meet analysts'' current consensus estimates for first-quarter profit. Home Depot said it expected to meet consensus estimates of 32 cents for the first quarter of fiscal 2002. In the 2001 fiscal first quarter, Home Depot earned 27 cents. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)