The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twenty-three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $426.00.

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays increased their target price on Home Depot from $372.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Home Depot from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Home Depot from $363.00 to $413.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Home Depot in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $420.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was 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 $5,018,159.70. The trade was a 0.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 16,004 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $6,553,958.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 77,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,727,562. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 38,188 shares of company stock worth $15,624,585. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Home Depot

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kings Path Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the third quarter worth $41,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot during the third quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Denver PWM LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot in the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Home Depot Stock Performance

Home Depot stock opened at $396.14 on Friday. Home Depot has a 52 week low of $323.77 and a 52 week high of $439.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65. The stock has a market cap of $393.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.03. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $409.93 and a 200-day moving average of $381.53.

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

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 27th were given a $2.25 dividend. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 27th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.14%.

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.