The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Shares Sold by KLCM Advisors Inc.

KLCM Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 5.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,243 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 138 shares during the period. KLCM Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $777,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in HD. BCK Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Home Depot during the first quarter valued at approximately $2,933,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Ergoteles LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,554,000. Equitable Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 7.4% during the first quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 14,628 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,379,000 after acquiring an additional 1,007 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 3.2% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 791,318 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $236,865,000 after acquiring an additional 24,640 shares during the period. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Home Depot Stock Performance

Shares of HD opened at $332.83 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $368.54 and its 200-day moving average is $339.01. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12 month low of $274.26 and a 12 month high of $396.87. The firm has a market cap of $329.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 40.94.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $34.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.64 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 1,452.22%. Home Depot’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.30 EPS. Equities analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $2.25 per share. This is an increase from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.09. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 6th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total transaction of $13,265,887.81. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 107,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,712,878.53. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 8,996 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were 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 directly owns 75,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,950,123.26. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total transaction of $13,265,887.81. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 107,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,712,878.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HD shares. Barclays upgraded shares of Home Depot from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $325.00 to $372.00 in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Home Depot in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $415.00 price target on the stock. Wedbush boosted their price target on shares of Home Depot from $380.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Home Depot from $415.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $370.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $375.96.

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.