Fiduciary Group LLC Lowers Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Fiduciary Group LLC trimmed its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 8.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,860 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 3,254 shares during the quarter. Home Depot accounts for 1.4% of Fiduciary Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Fiduciary Group LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $12,081,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Keener Financial Planning LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Home Depot by 53.3% in the 4th quarter. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 92 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Gilfoyle & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc acquired a new position in Home Depot during the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Home Depot during the 3rd quarter valued at about $64,000. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on HD shares. StockNews.com raised Home Depot from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Home Depot from $299.00 to $377.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Zelman & Associates raised Home Depot from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Home Depot from $420.00 to $415.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on Home Depot from $415.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Home Depot has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $375.96.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total value of $13,265,887.81. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 107,731 shares in the company, valued at $39,712,878.53. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 8,996 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.74, for a total value of $3,317,185.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 75,799 shares in the company, valued at $27,950,123.26. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 35,987 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.63, for a total value of $13,265,887.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 107,731 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,712,878.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Home Depot Stock Performance

Shares of HD traded up $3.11 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $335.09. The company had a trading volume of 2,465,262 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,779,238. The stock has a market capitalization of $332.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.19, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $364.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $340.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 40.94. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $274.26 and a 52-week high of $396.87.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.77 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $34.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.64 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 1,452.22% and a net margin of 9.92%. Home Depot’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.30 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 7th were given a dividend of $2.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 6th. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.69%. This is an increase from Home Depot’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.09. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.60%.

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.