KB Home stock holds Neutral rating after earnings miss

Published 26/03/2025, 10:44
KB Home stock holds Neutral rating after earnings miss

On Wednesday, KB Home (NYSE:KBH) maintained its Neutral rating from analysts at BTIG following the company’s first-quarter earnings report for 2025. KB Home posted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.49, which fell short of BTIG’s projection of $1.60 and the consensus estimate of $1.58. According to InvestingPro data, eight analysts have recently revised their earnings estimates downward, with the full-year 2025 EPS forecast now at $7.13. The shortfall was attributed to fewer home deliveries, higher selling, general and administrative expenses relative to sales, and a slightly lower average selling price than anticipated. These factors were slightly mitigated by a lower tax rate, while gross margins met expectations at 21.4%.

KB Home experienced a notable 17% decline in orders, contrary to BTIG’s expectation of stable order volume. The company observed a "muted" demand during the early spring selling season, which is typically a critical period for home sales. The stock has reflected these challenges, trading near its 52-week low of $56.41, with a significant 30% decline over the past six months. Potential buyers demonstrated caution due to macroeconomic uncertainties and affordability issues. In response to these challenges, KB Home reduced its base prices in mid-February, which led to a subsequent improvement in sales trends to over one sale per week per store.

Despite the uptick in sales following the price adjustments, KB Home has revised its full-year 2025 guidance downward across all key operating metrics, except for community count. BTIG has consequently adjusted its own estimates, reducing its forecast for KB Home’s full-year 2025 EPS from $8.25 to $6.85 and for full-year 2026 from $8.70 to $7.30. The revisions were driven by anticipated changes in order volume, pricing, and margins. Despite these challenges, InvestingPro analysis suggests the stock is currently undervalued, trading at an attractive P/E ratio of 7.5x. For deeper insights into KB Home’s valuation and 12+ additional ProTips, including detailed financial health metrics, explore the comprehensive Pro Research Report available on InvestingPro.

In other recent news, KB Home reported its first-quarter earnings for fiscal year 2025, revealing an adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.50, which fell short of market expectations. The company’s housing revenues were $1.39 billion, missing its own forecast and analysts’ estimates due to fewer closings than anticipated. Following these results, Evercore ISI, Raymond (NSE:RYMD) James, RBC Capital, Wolfe Research, and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods all adjusted their price targets for the company, citing various challenges in sales and margins. Evercore ISI lowered its target to $77, maintaining an Outperform rating, while Raymond James reduced its target to $65, also keeping an Outperform rating. RBC Capital cut its price target to $63, maintaining a Sector Perform rating, and Wolfe Research decreased its target to $60 with an Underperform rating.

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods held its Market Perform rating with a target of $76. The analysts highlighted a 17% year-over-year decline in net new orders, with the average order price seeing a modest increase. KB Home’s strategic response to the market included reducing base prices, which led to improved sales rates, though challenges remain with affordability and economic concerns. The company’s revised guidance for fiscal year 2025 reflects lower expectations for both earnings and revenue, with analysts expressing varied outlooks on the company’s future performance.

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