Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Acquires 42,083 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 11.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 398,888 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 42,083 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $138,235,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. KB Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Home Depot in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Home Depot by 53.3% in the fourth quarter. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 92 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Studio Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total transaction of $13,265,887.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 107,731 shares in the company, valued at $39,712,878.53. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 8,996 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.74, for a total value of $3,317,185.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 75,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,950,123.26. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total value of $13,265,887.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 107,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,712,878.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Home Depot Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HD opened at $332.83 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $368.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $339.01. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 1-year low of $274.26 and a 1-year high of $396.87. The firm has a market cap of $329.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 40.94.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.05. Home Depot had a return on equity of 1,452.22% and a net margin of 9.92%. The business had revenue of $34.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.30 earnings per share. Home Depot’s revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $2.25 per share. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.70%. This is a positive change from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.09. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 6th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is 59.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on Home Depot from $335.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. TD Cowen increased their price target on Home Depot from $415.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Mizuho initiated coverage on Home Depot in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $415.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Home Depot from $420.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Home Depot from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $375.96.

Home Depot Company Profile

The Home Depot, Inc operates as a home improvement retailer in the United States and internationally. It sells various building materials, home improvement products, lawn and garden products, and décor products, as well as facilities maintenance, repair, and operations products. The company also offers installation services for flooring, water heaters, bath, garage doors, cabinets, cabinet makeovers, countertops, sheds, furnaces and central air systems, and windows.