Davis R M Inc. Boosts Stock Position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Davis R M Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 151,002 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 586 shares during the period. Home Depot comprises 1.1% of Davis R M Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Davis R M Inc.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $58,738,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of HD. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Home Depot by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 102 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Home Depot in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Home Depot Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of HD opened at $374.13 on Tuesday. 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 market capitalization of $371.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $399.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $400.08. The Home Depot, Inc. has a twelve month low of $323.77 and a twelve month high of $439.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $39.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.15 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.82 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a $2.30 dividend. This is a positive change from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on HD. KGI Securities raised Home Depot to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Home Depot from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Home Depot from $431.00 to $424.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $455.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, HSBC raised Home Depot from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $356.00 to $410.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $436.50.

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.