Empirical Asset Management LLC Buys Shares of 11,293 The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Empirical Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 11,293 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $3,983,000. Home Depot makes up about 0.9% of Empirical Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Curio Wealth LLC boosted its position in Home Depot by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 218 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida increased its position in Home Depot by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida now owns 2,178 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $749,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Moneco Advisors LLC increased its position in Home Depot by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Moneco Advisors LLC now owns 8,743 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,008,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp raised its stake in shares of Home Depot by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp now owns 1,770 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $609,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eubel Brady & Suttman Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Home Depot by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Eubel Brady & Suttman Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,130 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $733,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Depot

In related news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 5,989 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.40, for a total transaction of $2,086,567.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 48,104 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,759,433.60. This trade represents a 11.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Home Depot

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

• Positive Sentiment: Home Depot reported quarterly revenue of $47.86 billion, up 5.7% year over year and above expectations, while adjusted diluted EPS of $4.92 exceeded the $4.73 consensus estimate. The results provided support for the stock, although they did not yet indicate a broad-based recovery in home improvement. Home Depot Q2 estimates and tariff refund
• Positive Sentiment: Management commentary indicated that smaller projects are driving growth as high mortgage rates and housing affordability challenges weigh on larger purchases. This suggests customers remain active, even if demand is shifting toward lower-cost jobs. Home Depot Q2 earnings call transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Home Depot’s 17-year dividend growth streak remains an attraction for income-oriented investors who can collect dividends while waiting for housing and renovation demand to improve. Home Depot dividend streak
• Neutral Sentiment: A $685 million tariff refund contributed to the quarterly outcome, raising concerns that part of the earnings strength may be one-time rather than driven by ongoing operating improvement. Home Depot tariff refund analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: The nationwide launch of three-hour delivery expands Home Depot’s e-commerce and fulfillment capabilities, but its effect on sales and margins remains unproven. Home Depot three-hour delivery
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles highlighting HD’s long-term multibagger returns and ownership by prominent investors may reinforce the company’s appeal, but they are not immediate earnings catalysts. Home Depot long-term returns
• Negative Sentiment: Home Depot’s CFO sold approximately $2.1 million of company stock. While insider selling can reflect personal financial planning, it may weigh modestly on sentiment. Home Depot CFO stock sale

Home Depot Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Home Depot stock opened at $337.97 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $337.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $341.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $339.54. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12-month low of $289.10 and a 12-month high of $426.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.64.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 18th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.73 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $47.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $47.24 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 106.42% and a net margin of 8.41%.The business’s revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.68 EPS. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.690-15.278 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 14.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $2.33 per share. This represents a $9.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $343.00 to $342.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Argus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Home Depot from $422.00 to $421.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut Home Depot from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $375.54.

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.