New York, Feb 12, 2026, 17:50 (EST) — After-hours
- Home Depot shares slipped in late trading after a broad tech-led selloff on Wall Street
- Investors are bracing for Friday’s U.S. inflation data that could reset rate-cut bets
- The retailer is due to report quarterly results on Feb. 24
Home Depot shares eased in after-hours trading on Thursday, tracking a wider risk-off session as investors turned cautious ahead of key U.S. inflation data and the retailer’s earnings later this month.
The timing matters for Home Depot because the stock tends to follow the rate story. When bond yields jump, big home projects usually wait, and home-improvement spending can fade.
The next two reads are close together: Friday’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) — a broad gauge of inflation — and Home Depot’s quarterly report on Feb. 24. Traders are looking for hints on whether demand is stabilizing for higher-ticket repairs and remodels.
Home Depot (HD.N) was down about 0.1% at $390.22 in late trade. The stock ranged from $389.00 to $397.43 during the regular session.
Wall Street’s main indexes fell sharply on Thursday as investors intensified a selloff in tech shares and rotated into defensive pockets of the market. “We see this as a ‘prove it’ year for AI,” Jack Herr, primary investment analyst at GuideStone Funds, said. (Reuters)
Markets are now braced for Friday’s CPI print. Brad Bernstein, a managing director at UBS Private Wealth Management, said that a softer reading could bring “a nice, real positive reaction” in stocks and push Treasury yields lower. (Reuters)
In the home-improvement orbit, investors are also watching how competition for professional contractors evolves. Building-products distributor QXO has agreed to buy private rival Kodiak Building Partners for about $2.25 billion, sources told Reuters, in a deal aimed at a market where Home Depot and Lowe’s are pushing harder into distribution. (Reuters)
Home Depot has said it will hold its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings conference call on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 9 a.m. ET. The company said it operated 2,356 retail stores and more than 1,200 SRS locations at the end of its third quarter. (Home Depot Investor Relations)
But the setup cuts both ways. A hotter inflation number could push yields back up and pressure rate-sensitive consumer names, while any sign that big-ticket demand is still sliding could weigh on the stock into earnings.
Next up: Friday’s U.S. CPI report before the open, and Home Depot’s results and outlook on Feb. 24.
