ATLANTA (Reuters) - Home Depot Inc. (NYSE:HD - news), the world's largest home-improvement retailer, on Tuesday said its fiscal second-quarter earnings rose 10 percent as higher lumber prices helped sales trends. For the quarter, ended July 31, Atlanta-based Home Depot reported earnings of $924 million, or 39 cents a diluted share, compared with $838 million, or 36 cents a share, a year earlier. The results beat analysts' expectations for profits of 36 to 38 cents a share, with a consensus estimate of 37 cents, according to research firm Thomson Financial/First Call. Sales rose 16 percent to $14.6 billion from $12.6 billion a year earlier. Comparable-store sales, an important barometer that tracks sales at stores open at least a year, rose 1 percent, compared with a 3 percent decline in the first quarter for both Home Depot and its main rival, Lowe's Cos. (NYSE:LOW - news).