Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. FBHS reported first-quarter 2021 earnings before charges/gains of $1.36 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.04 by 30.8%. On a year-over-year basis, the bottom line increased 67.9% on the back of sales growth.In the first quarter, Fortune Brands’ net sales were $1,771 million, increasing 26% from the year-ago figure. The improvement was driven by solid performance across all of its segments. Also, the top line beat the consensus estimate of $1,641 million by 7.9%.Segmental DetailsQuarterly net sales for Cabinets grew 11% year over year to $687.9 million. Results were driven by continued solid demand for the company’s products.Plumbing net sales increased 33% year over year to $621.6 million. Results were driven by impressive performance across the business.Outdoors & Security’s net sales increased 47% to $461.5 million on the back of double-digit sales growth for composite decking and doors products.Costs & ExpensesIn the first quarter, Fortune Brands’ cost of sales increased 24% year over year to $1,126.9 million. It represented 63.6% of net sales compared with 64.8% in the year-ago quarter. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased 18% to $371.5 million, and represented 21% of the net sales compared with 22.4% a year ago.Operating income before charges/gains increased 54% to $261.8 million. Operating margin before charges/gains climbed 270 basis points to 14.8%. Interest expenses decreased 3% to $21.4 million.Balance SheetExiting the first quarter, Fortune Brands’ cash and cash equivalents were $356.1 million, down 15% from $419.1 million at the end of 2020. Its long-term debt increased 4.3% to $2,682.8 million sequentially.In first three months of 2021, net cash used in operating activities was $69.2 million compared with $13.8 million used in the year-ago period. Capital expenditure amounted to $25.4 million, down from $26.9 million.OutlookFor 2021, Fortune Brands anticipates sales to increase 20-22% from the previous year. Earnings before charges/gains are estimated to be $5.45-$5.65 per share. Also, it anticipates to generate free cash flow of $650-$700 million.Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. QuoteZacks Rank & Stocks to ConsiderThe company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).Some better-ranked stocks are Alcoa Corporation AA, Lakeland Industries, Inc. LAKE and Energy Recovery, Inc. ERII. While Alcoa currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Lakeland Industries and Energy Recovery carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Alcoa delivered a earnings surprise of 56.78%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.Lakeland Industries delivered a earnings surprise of 230.73%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.Energy Recovery delivered a earnings surprise of 232.08%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Alcoa Corp. (AA): Free Stock Analysis Report Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. (FBHS): Free Stock Analysis Report Lakeland Industries, Inc. (LAKE): Free Stock Analysis Report Energy Recovery, Inc. (ERII): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research