Stonebrook Private Inc. Takes Position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Stonebrook Private Inc. bought a new position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 11,662 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,041,000. Home Depot accounts for approximately 1.3% of Stonebrook Private Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new stake in Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Home Depot by 53.3% during the 4th quarter. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 92 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Gilfoyle & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the third quarter valued at approximately $64,000. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Home Depot Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of HD traded up $3.11 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $335.09. 2,465,262 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,779,238. The company has a market capitalization of $332.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.19, a PEG ratio of 2.23 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 Home Depot, Inc. has a 52 week low of $274.26 and a 52 week high of $396.87. The company’s 50 day moving average is $364.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $340.97.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.77 by $0.05. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.92% and a return on equity of 1,452.22%. The company had revenue of $34.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.30 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 7th were paid a $2.25 dividend. This is an increase from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.09. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 6th. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.69%. Home Depot’s payout ratio is 59.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on HD shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $385.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Barclays upgraded Home Depot from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $325.00 to $372.00 in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Home Depot from $420.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Zelman & Associates raised Home Depot from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Oppenheimer cut shares of Home Depot from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $375.96.

Home Depot Company 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.