Stephens Inc. AR Buys 2,031 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Stephens Inc. AR grew its position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 61,856 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,031 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $24,061,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of HD. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Home Depot during the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the 3rd quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Finley Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at about $59,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Home Depot

In related news, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 22,084 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.91, for a total transaction of $9,030,368.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 20,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,343,399.64. This trade represents a 51.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 16,004 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $6,553,958.08. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 77,475 shares in the company, valued at $31,727,562. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 38,188 shares of company stock valued at $15,624,585 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Home Depot Stock Performance

Shares of HD stock opened at $407.39 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $404.68 billion, a PE ratio of 27.68, a P/E/G ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $406.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $394.24. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52 week low of $323.77 and a 52 week high of $439.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.64 by $0.14. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The company had revenue of $40.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.81 earnings per share. Home Depot’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.12 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $2.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 27th. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Home Depot from $425.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Mizuho raised their target price on Home Depot from $435.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Home Depot from $380.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Home Depot in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $451.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Home Depot from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Home Depot has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.