National Pension Service Boosts Stock Position in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

National Pension Service lifted its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,066,276 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 58,887 shares during the period. Home Depot accounts for approximately 0.7% of National Pension Service’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. National Pension Service’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $837,234,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HD. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the second quarter worth about $29,000. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Dougherty Wealth Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Stock Up 0.7%

HD stock opened at $374.33 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $372.65 billion, a PE ratio of 25.52, a PEG ratio of 13.86 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.82, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 1.05. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $359.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $378.70. The Home Depot, Inc. has a one year low of $326.31 and a one year high of $426.75.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 18th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.83 by ($0.09). Home Depot had a return on equity of 160.74% and a net margin of 8.77%.The business had revenue of $41.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $41.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.78 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Home Depot has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.478-14.478 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 4th were issued a $2.30 dividend. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 4th. Home Depot’s payout ratio is 62.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Depot

In other news, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 2,872 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.52, for a total value of $1,000,949.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,599,069.92. The trade was a 17.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 145 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.26, for a total transaction of $51,947.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,320 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,413,763.20. This represents a 1.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 4,963 shares of company stock valued at $1,748,845 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on HD shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Home Depot from $450.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Home Depot from $400.00 to $395.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Home Depot from $420.00 to $405.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Truist Financial set a $405.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $413.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $404.50.

Home Depot Company Profile

The Home Depot, Inc (NYSE: HD) is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and an integrated online platform offering a broad range of products and services for do-it-yourself consumers, professional contractors and businesses. The company was founded in 1978 by Bernard Marcus and Arthur Blank and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Since opening its first stores at the end of the 1970s, Home Depot has grown into a multinational retailer known for its orange-branded stores and wide assortment of home improvement merchandise.

Home Depot’s core business includes the sale of building materials, lumber, tools, hardware, appliances, paint, plumbing and electrical supplies, lawn and garden products, and home décor.