Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Acquires 852,719 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 215.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,248,615 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 852,719 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $429,648,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HD. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Home Depot by 60.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,143,089 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $4,109,878,000 after acquiring an additional 3,836,051 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Home Depot by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 99,635,779 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $34,284,672,000 after acquiring an additional 1,325,748 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Home Depot by 37.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,806,308 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,542,278,000 after acquiring an additional 1,040,577 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new stake in Home Depot during the third quarter valued at about $284,893,000. Finally, ABN AMRO Bank N.V. raised its holdings in Home Depot by 2,427.3% during the third quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. now owns 631,551 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $254,943,000 after acquiring an additional 606,562 shares during the period. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Home Depot

Here are the key news stories impacting Home Depot this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Telsey Advisory reiterated a Buy rating on Home Depot, suggesting at least one Wall Street firm still sees value in the shares despite recent volatility.
• Positive Sentiment: Some commentary has highlighted Home Depot as a potential beneficiary if housing turnover and mortgage-rate conditions improve, which could support future sales and earnings.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are watching Home Depot closely ahead of earnings on May 19, with articles focusing on whether pro demand, digital tools, and repair projects can offset a weaker housing backdrop.
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Home Depot can perform well in a lower-rate environment, but also noted the stock needs stronger housing turnover to really accelerate.
• Negative Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein cut its price target on Home Depot to $365 from $390 and kept a Market Perform rating, reflecting a more cautious view on near-term upside.
• Negative Sentiment: A new class-action lawsuit reportedly pressured the stock, adding legal uncertainty at an already sensitive time for investors.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent pre-earnings pullback and broader worries about housing turnover have also weighed on sentiment, helping explain why Home Depot stock has been moving lower.

Home Depot Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of HD stock opened at $297.34 on Friday. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12-month low of $296.88 and a 12-month high of $426.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.62. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $331.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $354.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $296.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.00.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.20. Home Depot had a return on equity of 134.32% and a net margin of 8.60%.The company had revenue of $38.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $38.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.230-14.799 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $2.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. This is an increase from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. This represents a $9.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Home Depot’s payout ratio is presently 65.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Home Depot news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.89, for a total transaction of $940,669.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 44,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,439,951.74. The trade was a 5.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on HD. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $435.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Home Depot in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $374.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Home Depot from $363.00 to $377.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen cut Home Depot from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Gordon Haskett reduced their target price on Home Depot from $395.00 to $330.00 in a report on Friday, May 8th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $405.66.

About Home Depot

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.