Global Assets Advisory LLC Grows Stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Global Assets Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 43.9% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,252 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 382 shares during the quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $441,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 95,763,752 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $37,251,142,000 after buying an additional 875,836 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Home Depot by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 21,957,463 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $8,525,046,000 after purchasing an additional 257,036 shares during the last quarter. Asset Planning Services Inc. LA ADV boosted its holdings in Home Depot by 99,400.7% in the first quarter. Asset Planning Services Inc. LA ADV now owns 18,975,772 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $6,954,431,000 after purchasing an additional 18,956,701 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Home Depot in the fourth quarter valued at $5,032,910,000. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in Home Depot by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 12,455,582 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,845,098,000 after purchasing an additional 647,552 shares during the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Home Depot

In other news, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 5,406 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.28, for a total value of $1,996,327.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,413,285.76. This represents a 23.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Fahim Siddiqui sold 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.14, for a total transaction of $954,564.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,919,130.14. This trade represents a 24.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Home Depot Stock Up 0.4%

HD opened at $361.96 on Thursday. The Home Depot, Inc. has a twelve month low of $326.31 and a twelve month high of $439.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.95. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $363.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $378.66. The company has a market cap of $360.12 billion, a PE ratio of 24.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.02.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.59 by ($0.03). Home Depot had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 242.51%. The business had revenue of $39.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.63 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th were paid a dividend of $2.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on HD shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Home Depot from $445.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. HSBC raised shares of Home Depot from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price target for the company from $356.00 to $410.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $415.00 price target (up from $410.00) on shares of Home Depot in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $398.00 price objective (up previously from $380.00) on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $426.77.

Home Depot 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.