Level Four Advisory Services LLC Cuts Stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Level Four Advisory Services LLC trimmed its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,922 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 816 shares during the period. Home Depot comprises about 0.6% of Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $15,141,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Home Depot by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 95,763,752 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $37,251,142,000 after acquiring an additional 875,836 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Home Depot by 2.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 21,700,427 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $8,767,449,000 after purchasing an additional 433,126 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,032,910,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Home Depot by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,552,090 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,715,668,000 after buying an additional 125,441 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 5.4% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,030,483 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,253,952,000 after acquiring an additional 409,890 shares in the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Home Depot Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of Home Depot stock opened at $362.96 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $360.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12-month low of $323.77 and a 12-month high of $439.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $391.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $398.65.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $39.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.15 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The company’s revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.82 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $2.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.53%. This is a boost from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. Home Depot’s payout ratio is currently 61.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HD has been the subject of several analyst reports. HSBC raised Home Depot from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $356.00 to $410.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $455.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Home Depot from $440.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $440.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, KGI Securities raised Home Depot to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Home Depot presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $435.85.

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.