Avanza Fonder AB Sells 7,108 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Avanza Fonder AB lowered its holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 6.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 96,858 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 7,108 shares during the quarter. Home Depot accounts for about 1.2% of Avanza Fonder AB’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Avanza Fonder AB’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $35,924,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in Home Depot by 220.0% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 96 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sellwood Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:HD opened at $365.20 on Tuesday. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12 month low of $326.31 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’s fifty day simple moving average is $361.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $384.05. The firm has a market cap of $363.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.81, a PEG ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.02.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.56 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.59 by ($0.03). Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The company had revenue of $39.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.63 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $2.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.52%. Home Depot’s payout ratio is 62.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Gordon Haskett upped their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $350.00 to $360.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Home Depot from $424.00 to $399.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. TD Securities cut shares of Home Depot to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Home Depot from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $426.77.

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.