ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Buys 1,579 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 1.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 91,216 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,579 shares during the quarter. Home Depot makes up about 1.5% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $36,961,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of HD. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in Home Depot in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Home Depot during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Denver PWM LLC acquired a new stake in Home Depot during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Home Depot by 68.0% during the 1st quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 126 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, Koesten Hirschmann & Crabtree INC. acquired a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the 1st quarter worth approximately $49,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Home Depot Trading Up 0.7 %

HD opened at $418.61 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $415.10 billion, a PE ratio of 28.08, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.74. The business has a 50 day moving average of $382.42 and a 200-day moving average of $357.80. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52 week low of $274.26 and a 52 week high of $421.56.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 13th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.59 by $0.08. Home Depot had a return on equity of 681.27% and a net margin of 9.71%. The firm had revenue of $43.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.57 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.65 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 29th were issued a $2.25 dividend. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 29th. Home Depot’s payout ratio is currently 60.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HD. Daiwa America upgraded Home Depot to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Home Depot in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $426.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Home Depot from $380.00 to $375.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Gordon Haskett upgraded Home Depot from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Home Depot from $377.00 to $363.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twenty-two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Home Depot currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $404.69.

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.