Guardian Partners Inc. Purchases Shares of 795 The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Guardian Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 795 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $308,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 65.2% in the 4th quarter. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc now owns 9,100 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,535,000 after purchasing an additional 3,590 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Home Depot by 19.5% in the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 23,758 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $9,242,000 after buying an additional 3,873 shares in the last quarter. Pensionfund Sabic grew its position in Home Depot by 51.4% during the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 11,200 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,357,000 after acquiring an additional 3,800 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB raised its stake in shares of Home Depot by 17.1% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 909,530 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $368,542,000 after acquiring an additional 132,967 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital lifted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 13,569 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $5,291,000 after acquiring an additional 1,506 shares during the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Home Depot Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE HD opened at $352.12 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $393.97 and its 200 day moving average is $399.14. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $349.78 billion, a PE ratio of 23.92, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. 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 released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.09. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The firm had revenue of $39.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.82 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $2.30 per share. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.61%. This is a positive change from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on HD. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Home Depot from a “moderate sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Home Depot from $440.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. HSBC raised Home Depot from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $356.00 to $410.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Home Depot from $455.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Home Depot from $440.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.