Operator Greetings and welcome to The Home Depot fourth quarter 2024 earnings conference call. [Operator instructions] As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. It is now my pleasure to introduce your host,

Home Depot generated $39.7 billion in sales in the fourth quarter, a hearty 14% increase over the same quarter a year ago. That was slightly better than the $39.16 billion that analysts had projected.

Home Depot broke a two-year slump in same store sales during the fourth quarter as customer demand improved in a housing market that has been buffeted by soaring mortgage rates and a scarcity of homes up for sale.