Meritage Homes Corp. (MTH) Misses Q1 EPS by 2c

Meritage Homes Corp. (NYSE: MTH) reported Q1 EPS of $0.62, $0.02 worse than the analyst estimate of $0.64. Revenue for the quarter came in at $408.35 million versus the consensus estimate of $441.4 million.

• Total order value grew 7% to $555.0 million, the second highest quarter for Meritage since the first quarter of 2007, driven primarily by Texas, which generated a $61.1 million year-over-year increase in total order value, 47% higher than 2013. For the company as a whole, an 8% increase in the average selling price of homes ordered more than offset the 1% decline in order volume from the first quarter of 2013.
• Total orders for 1,525 homes represented the third highest quarterly orders for Meritage in the last six years. Only the first two quarters of 2013 were higher, when average orders per community were at their highest level since the second quarter of 2006.
• Home closing revenue increased 23% over the prior year, resulting from a 5% increase in home closings and a 16% increase in the average price of homes closed during the quarter. Closing revenue grew across all three regions and five of the six states where Meritage operated continuously in both years. Meritage's East region grew home closing revenue by 70% year over year, with 59% increases in Florida and the Carolinas. The Central region followed with a 30% increase in Texas. Total home closing revenue increased 4% in the West region, with Arizona up 26% and Colorado up 24%, while California was off 12% from the first quarter of 2013, when it led the company with 172% growth in home closing revenue over the first quarter of 2012.
• Home closing gross margin increased 330 basis points (bps) to 22.8% in the first quarter of 2014 compared to 19.5% in the first quarter of 2013, as home prices increased more than did the costs of land and construction.

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Meritage Homes Corp. (MTH) click here.

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