BDF Gestion Lowers Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

BDF Gestion lessened its stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 17.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,764 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 7,210 shares during the quarter. Home Depot accounts for about 1.2% of BDF Gestion’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. BDF Gestion’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $13,134,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HD. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in Home Depot in the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its position in Home Depot by 36.0% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 136 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Depot

In related news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 16,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Ann Marie Campbell sold 100 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 12,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,018,159.70. This represents a 0.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 38,188 shares of company stock valued at $15,624,585 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of HD opened at $411.86 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $408.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $392.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 1.13. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 1 year low of $323.77 and a 1 year high of $439.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $409.13 billion, a PE ratio of 27.98, a P/E/G ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 1.05.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.64 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $40.22 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.81 EPS. Analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 27th were paid a dividend of $2.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 27th. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. Home Depot’s payout ratio is 61.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HD. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Home Depot from $430.00 to $466.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Home Depot from $363.00 to $413.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Home Depot from $390.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Home Depot from $425.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on Home Depot from $435.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twenty-three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $426.00.

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.