Values First Advisors Inc. Boosts Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Values First Advisors Inc. grew its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 216.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,211 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 828 shares during the quarter. Values First Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $471,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot in the third quarter worth $41,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the third quarter valued at $46,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Home Depot Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE HD opened at $407.20 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $404.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $405.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $395.38. 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 Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $323.77 and a 52-week high of $439.37.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HD. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Home Depot from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Home Depot from $363.00 to $413.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Home Depot from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $451.00 price target for the company. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group raised shares of Home Depot from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $360.00 to $455.00 in a report on Friday, November 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twenty-three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $428.85.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 16,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total transaction of $6,553,958.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 77,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,727,562. The trade was a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $402.58, for a total transaction of $40,258.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,018,159.70. This represents a 0.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot 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.