Xponance Inc. Raises Stock Position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Xponance Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 0.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 240,531 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the quarter. Home Depot makes up approximately 1.0% of Xponance Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $83,356,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of HD. AIA Group Ltd increased its holdings in Home Depot by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 130,305 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $45,157,000 after buying an additional 412 shares during the period. Smead Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Home Depot by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Smead Capital Management Inc. now owns 453,225 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $157,065,000 after buying an additional 3,170 shares during the period. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV increased its holdings in Home Depot by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV now owns 15,518 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,363,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd purchased a new position in Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,239,000. Finally, Twin Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Home Depot by 616.9% during the fourth quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,933 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,096,000 after buying an additional 7,687 shares during the period. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now 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 accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 8,996 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 75,799 shares in the company, valued at $27,950,123.26. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $39,712,878.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Home Depot Stock Performance

Shares of HD stock opened at $335.36 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $332.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.98. The business’s 50 day moving average is $367.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $339.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 40.94. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12-month low of $274.26 and a 12-month high of $396.87.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $34.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.64 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 1,452.22% and a net margin of 9.92%. Home Depot’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.30 earnings per share. Analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 7th were given a dividend of $2.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 6th. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.68%. This is an increase from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.09. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $380.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Home Depot from $299.00 to $377.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Home Depot from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $390.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $370.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $375.96.

About Home Depot

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.