While retail stocks have been hammered on Wall Street lately, one of the few exceptions to the rule is Home Depot Inc (NYSE: HD). Since the beginning of the year, the giant home improvement retailer has given investors a greater than 15% return, handily beating the S&P 500 year to date. In its second quarter, Home Depot once again showed why it is still one of the best companies in the retail sector: Net sales grew to $28.1 billion, a 6.2% increase year over year, and diluted EPS rose to $2.25, a 14.2% increase.