Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Has $113.66 Million Stock Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 0.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 280,509 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,341 shares during the period. Home Depot makes up 1.9% of Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $113,659,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Home Depot by 0.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 98,310,031 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $39,834,241,000 after purchasing an additional 331,217 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Home Depot by 0.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 46,015,836 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $16,871,246,000 after purchasing an additional 300,352 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Home Depot by 1.1% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,568,860 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $5,341,724,000 after purchasing an additional 153,582 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the 2nd quarter valued at $4,885,603,000. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in Home Depot by 0.3% in 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. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Home Depot from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Home Depot from $450.00 to $430.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on Home Depot from $420.00 to $405.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Home Depot from $363.00 to $377.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on Home Depot from $355.00 to $391.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $416.00.

Home Depot Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:HD opened at $338.84 on Friday. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $326.31 and a 52-week high of $426.75. 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 company has a market capitalization of $337.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.19 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $373.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $376.59.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $38.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.01 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 134.32% and a net margin of 8.60%.The business’s revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.13 earnings per share. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.230-14.799 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th will be issued 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, March 12th. This is a boost from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. Home Depot’s payout ratio is presently 65.50%.

Trending Headlines about Home Depot

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reiterated a Buy rating on HD, a vote of confidence from a major shop that can support investor sentiment and help stabilize the stock. TD Cowen Keeps Their Buy Rating on Home Depot (HD)
• Positive Sentiment: Home Depot is rolling out real‑time delivery tracking and other digital tools aimed at pros (material lists, quotes), which should boost repeat/pro sales and margins over time. This operational progress is being cited as a reason analysts still see upside. “Focus on Improving Customer Experience”: Home Depot Stock Notches Up as Live Tracking Gets Fleshed Out
• Positive Sentiment: New exclusive merchandising (Back to the Roots’ Organic Mushroom Compost at Home Depot) expands seasonal/garden assortments and supports in‑store traffic and SKU differentiation. Back to the Roots Expands Organic Soil Portfolio with Launch of Organic Mushroom Compost Exclusively at The Home Depot
• Neutral Sentiment: HD is a “trending” search on Zacks — useful for sentiment/flow but not a directional fundamental catalyst; Zacks also issued its Q1 earnings outlook, which investors will watch against results. The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Some outlets note analysts are “conflicted” — a mix of Buy and Hold ratings and diverging price targets increases volatility but also means upside if housing or rates improve. Analysts Conflicted on These Consumer Cyclical Names: Cracker Barrel (CBRL) and Home Depot (HD)
• Negative Sentiment: Recent loss‑prevention/PR incidents (“pretty privilege” testing) and related headlines have pressured the stock and raised short‑term reputational and operational risk. “Pretty Privilege” Tests Send Home Depot Stock Slumping
• Negative Sentiment: Macroeconomic headwinds — US CPI rose 0.3% in Feb and high mortgage rates — are cited as weighing on renovation demand and consumer discretionary exposure, a clear negative for HD’s top line. US CPI Up 0.3% in February: Consumer Discretionary ETFs to Watch
• Negative Sentiment: Analyses flag softer home‑improvement demand and valuation pressure after recent headlines; these factors explain the recent share decline and raise the bar for near‑term catalysts. Assessing Home Depot (HD) Valuation After Loss Prevention Headlines And Softer Home Improvement Demand

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.89, for a total value of $940,669.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 44,566 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,439,951.74. This represents a 5.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 2,872 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.52, for a total value of $1,000,949.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,599,069.92. This represents a 17.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Home Depot Company 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.