Sentry Investment Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Sentry Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 20.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,204 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the quarter. Home Depot accounts for about 0.7% of Sentry Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $1,094,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Home Depot by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 563 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $219,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Tallon Kerry Patrick bought a new position in Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at about $281,000. Capital & Planning LLC raised its position in Home Depot by 110.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital & Planning LLC now owns 1,074 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $418,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the period. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. boosted its position in shares of Home Depot by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 4,537 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,765,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 26,918 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $10,471,000 after buying an additional 7,203 shares during the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Home Depot Stock Performance

Shares of Home Depot stock opened at $367.86 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $365.99 billion, a PE ratio of 24.99, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $361.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $385.45. The Home Depot, Inc. has a one year low of $323.93 and a one year high of $439.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.56 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.59 by ($0.03). Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The firm had revenue of $39.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.63 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $2.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.42%.

Insider Transactions at Home Depot

In other Home Depot news, EVP Fahim Siddiqui sold 2,600 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.14, for a total value of $954,564.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,919,130.14. The trade was a 24.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 5,406 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.28, for a total transaction of $1,996,327.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,413,285.76. This trade represents a 23.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on HD. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Home Depot from $430.00 to $425.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Home Depot from $393.00 to $417.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Home Depot from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $405.00 to $425.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Home Depot from $450.00 to $435.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Home Depot has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $426.77.

Home Depot 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.