ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 1,297 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 89,919 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 1,297 shares during the period. Home Depot comprises about 1.4% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $34,978,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Quarry LP boosted its stake in Home Depot by 36.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 136 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in Home Depot by 111.3% during the 2nd quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 150 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Home Depot news, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $402.58, for a total value of $40,258.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 12,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,018,159.70. This trade represents a 0.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 22,084 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.91, for a total value of $9,030,368.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,343,399.64. This trade represents a 51.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 38,188 shares of company stock valued at $15,624,585. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Home Depot Stock Performance

Shares of HD stock opened at $418.65 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $415.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.44, a PEG ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $406.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $388.73. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12 month low of $323.77 and a 12 month high of $439.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.64 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $40.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.31 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.81 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th were issued a $2.25 dividend. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 27th. Home Depot’s payout ratio is currently 61.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on HD. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Home Depot from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Home Depot from $372.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Home Depot from $435.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Home Depot from $390.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Gordon Haskett raised shares of Home Depot from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $426.00.

About Home Depot

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.