Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 68,656 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lessened its holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 465,450 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 68,656 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $160,161,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HD. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Home Depot by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 99,635,779 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $34,284,672,000 after buying an additional 1,325,748 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of Home Depot by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,400,133 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,619,229,000 after buying an additional 30,739 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Home Depot by 60.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,143,089 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,109,878,000 after buying an additional 3,836,051 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Home Depot by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,130,293 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,104,694,000 after buying an additional 197,211 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in shares of Home Depot by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 6,181,165 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,504,546,000 after buying an additional 116,875 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on HD shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Home Depot from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Home Depot from $412.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. DA Davidson upped their price target on Home Depot from $407.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $435.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $401.34.

Home Depot Stock Performance

Shares of HD opened at $299.98 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $330.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $353.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $298.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.62, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 1.06. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $296.88 and a 52-week high of $426.75.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $38.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.01 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 134.32% and a net margin of 8.60%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.13 EPS. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.230-14.799 EPS. Research analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $2.33 per share. This is a positive change from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $9.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Home Depot’s payout ratio is currently 65.50%.

Trending Headlines about Home Depot

Here are the key news stories impacting Home Depot this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts still see upside potential, with Barclays remaining constructive on Home Depot amid improving fundamentals and easier comparisons, while other commentary suggests the company could benefit if housing activity stabilizes. Barclays Bullish on Home Depot Inc. (HD) amid Improving Fundamentals and Comparisons
• Positive Sentiment: Several previews argue the upcoming earnings report could reveal stronger-than-expected performance and potentially reset expectations higher if Home Depot shows resilience in sales and profitability. Home Depot’s Next Earnings Report on May 19 Could Send the Stock Soaring. Here’s Why.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street expects a big post-earnings move, with options traders pricing in a sizable swing around the results, but that reflects uncertainty rather than a clear directional catalyst. Home Depot (HD) Stock Options Traders Are Pricing In a $15 Price Swing after Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler said demand trends remain sluggish and trimmed its price target slightly, reinforcing concerns that Home Depot’s near-term sales growth could stay muted. Home Depot (HD) Faces Sluggish Demand Trends, Says Piper Sandler
• Negative Sentiment: Oppenheimer cut its price target sharply to $310 and moved to a market-perform rating, signaling more caution ahead of earnings as investors worry about housing weakness and consumer pressure. Semi And Options Mania Collide With Bond Rout Ahead Of Earnings From Nvidia, Home Depot, Walmart
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple previews say Home Depot may lower full-year guidance when it reports, which would likely pressure the stock if management confirms softer demand and margin headwinds. Home Depot, Lowe’s Seen Trimming Full-Year Outlook as Macro Pressures Build, Oppenheimer Says

Insider Transactions at Home Depot

In related news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.89, for a total transaction of $940,669.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 44,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,439,951.74. This represents a 5.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Profile

The Home Depot, Inc (NYSE: HD) is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and an integrated online platform offering a broad range of products and services for do-it-yourself consumers, professional contractors and businesses. The company was founded in 1978 by Bernard Marcus and Arthur Blank and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Since opening its first stores at the end of the 1970s, Home Depot has grown into a multinational retailer known for its orange-branded stores and wide assortment of home improvement merchandise.

Home Depot’s core business includes the sale of building materials, lumber, tools, hardware, appliances, paint, plumbing and electrical supplies, lawn and garden products, and home décor.