Home Depot Inc , the world's No. 1 home improvement retailer, reported a better-than-expected rise in quarterly same-store sales, helped by a recovery in the U.S. housing market.
The company's same-store sales rose 4.2 percent in the second quarter, beating the average analyst estimate of 3.5 percent growth, according to research firm Consensus Metrix. Home Depot's net income rose to $2.23 billion, or $1.73 per share, in the quarter ended Aug. 2 from $2.05 billion, or $1.52 per share, a year earlier.