Home Depot (NYSE:HD) Shares Down 1.5%

The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) traded down 1.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $333.12 and last traded at $334.00. 789,720 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 3,318,877 shares. The stock had previously closed at $339.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Home Depot from $355.00 to $366.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. HSBC restated a “reduce” rating and set a $323.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Home Depot from $299.00 to $377.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Home Depot from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Home Depot from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $375.96.

Home Depot Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 40.94, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $365.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $340.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $328.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.98, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.98.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.05. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 1,452.22%. The business had revenue of $34.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.30 earnings per share. Home Depot’s revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 7th were paid a $2.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 6th. This is a boost from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.09. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.71%. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 59.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Depot

In other Home Depot news, 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 107,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,712,878.53. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Home Depot news, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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 at the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 8,996 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.74, for a total transaction of $3,317,185.04. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 75,799 shares in the company, valued at $27,950,123.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Home Depot

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HD. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its position in Home Depot by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 4,778 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,444,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Home Depot by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. now owns 16,852 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,092,000 after buying an additional 894 shares during the last quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd. grew its stake in Home Depot by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd. now owns 1,140 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $344,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Home Depot by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,201 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,198,000 after buying an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Founders Financial Securities LLC grew its stake in Home Depot by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 5,938 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,794,000 after buying an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.