Bensler LLC Reduces Stock Position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Bensler LLC trimmed its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 95.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 599 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 11,899 shares during the period. Bensler LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $243,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. WFA Asset Management Corp increased its stake in shares of Home Depot by 10.7% during the 1st quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 1,394 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $535,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Home Depot by 5.8% during the first quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 11,421 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $4,381,000 after purchasing an additional 623 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC raised its stake in Home Depot by 1.4% during the first quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 9,857 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $3,781,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Oxbow Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $921,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,345 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $900,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Home Depot Stock Up 2.8 %

NYSE:HD opened at $399.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.74, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 1.15. The company has a market capitalization of $396.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.01. The Home Depot, Inc. has a one year low of $286.79 and a one year high of $421.56. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $393.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $363.10.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 13th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.59 by $0.08. Home Depot had a return on equity of 733.61% and a net margin of 9.71%. The business had revenue of $43.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.57 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.65 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 29th were given a dividend of $2.25 per share. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 29th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on HD. Guggenheim increased their target price on Home Depot from $390.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Home Depot from $377.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Home Depot from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Home Depot in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $451.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $426.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twenty-three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $420.04.

About Home Depot

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.