Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. FBHS, which is based in Deerfield, IL, manufactures and provides various home and security products. Products offered by the company are mainly used in the kitchen and bath cabinetry, plumbing and accessories, entry door systems, and security products applications. The company presently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.In the past three months, the company’s shares have gained 10.2% as compared with the industry’s growth of 22.5%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research There are a number of factors that are influencing Fortune Brands’ prospects. A brief discussion on important factors and earnings estimates is discussed below:Financial Performance and Projections: The company delivered better-than-expected results for the second quarter of 2021. Its earnings beat estimates by 30.8%, whereas its sales surpassed the same by 7.9%. On a year-over-year basis, the company’s earnings increased 67.9% on the back of sales and margin growth.Solid product offerings, focus on innovation and improving construction activities in the United States are anticipated to be beneficial for Fortune Brands in the quarters ahead. For 2021, the company expects year-over-year sales growth of 20-22%. Earnings for the year are predicted to be $5.45-$5.65 per share. Notably, the sales growth projection is above the previously mentioned 12.5-14.5%, whereas, the earnings projection is above $4.85-$5.05 stated earlier. Capital Allocation: The company effectively uses its capital for acquisitions, rewarding shareholders and boosting organic prospects. For making acquisitions, Fortune Brands used $5.2 million (net of cash acquired) in the first quarter of 2021.In December 2020, the company acquired LARSON Manufacturing, which has been boosting its foothold in the doors and decking market. In the first quarter of 2021, the LARSON buyout expanded the Outdoors & Security segment’s sales by 32%.Regarding rewards to shareholders, the company paid out dividends of $36 million in the first quarter of 2021, reflecting an increase from $33.5 million in the year-ago quarter. Also, it bought back shares worth $54.1 million as compared with $150 million used for share buyback in the year-ago quarter. Exiting the first quarter, the company was left to buy back $408.4 million worth of shares under its previously approved share buyback program. International Operations & Peers: Fortune Brands carries out its operations in multiple countries, including the United States, Canada, South America, China, Europe, Mexico and Southeast Asia. International diversification has exposed it to unfavorable movements in foreign currencies, geopolitical issues, local competitive pressure and macroeconomic challenges.Also, the company competes with companies with the same line of businesses or product manufacturing. Three such companies are Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. SWK, Allegion plc ALLE and Masco Corporation MAS. Earnings surprise for the last reported quarter was 22.27% for Stanley Black, 17.65% for Allegion and 34.85% for Masco. Earnings Estimate Revisions: Fortune Brands’ earnings estimates have increased in the past 60 days. Currently, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $1.37 for the second quarter, up 8.7% from the 60-day-ago figure.Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. Price and Consensus Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. QuoteIn addition, the consensus estimate for 2021 has moved 13.1% north to $5.63 in the past 60 days and increased 13% to $6.25 for 2022.+1,500% Growth: One of 2021’s Most Exciting Investment OpportunitiesIn addition to the stocks you read about above, would you like to see Zacks’ top picks to capitalize on the Internet of Things (IoT)? It is one of the fastest-growing technologies in history, with an estimated 77 billion devices to be connected by 2025. That works out to 127 new devices per second.Zacks has released a special report to help you capitalize on the Internet of Things’s exponential growth. It reveals 4 under-the-radar stocks that could be some of the most profitable holdings in your portfolio in 2021 and beyond. Click here to download this report FREE >>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 Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (SWK): Free Stock Analysis Report Masco Corporation (MAS): Free Stock Analysis Report Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. (FBHS): Free Stock Analysis Report Allegion PLC (ALLE): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research