Keene & Associates Inc. Increases Stock Position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Keene & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 16.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,409 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the quarter. Keene & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $488,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. raised its stake in Home Depot by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 14,111 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,891,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its stake in shares of Home Depot by 25.1% during the fourth quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 5,159 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,788,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK raised its stake in shares of Home Depot by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 111,809 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $38,747,000 after acquiring an additional 1,006 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth approximately $753,000. Finally, Altus Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Home Depot by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Altus Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,267 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,132,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Home Depot

In other news, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total value of $13,265,887.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 107,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,712,878.53. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 8,996 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.74, for a total value of $3,317,185.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 75,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,950,123.26. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total value of $13,265,887.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 107,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,712,878.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Home Depot Stock Performance

Shares of HD stock opened at $337.93 on Tuesday. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12 month low of $274.26 and a 12 month high of $396.87. The stock has a market cap of $334.90 billion, a PE ratio of 22.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 40.94. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $369.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $338.82.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.05. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 1,339.65%. The firm had revenue of $34.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.30 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 7th were given a $2.25 dividend. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.66%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.09. Home Depot’s payout ratio is currently 59.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on HD shares. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $415.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Home Depot from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Home Depot from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Home Depot from $299.00 to $377.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Home Depot from $347.00 to $393.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Home Depot presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $376.35.

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.