Wright Investors Service Inc. Decreases Stake in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Wright Investors Service Inc. cut its stake in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 46.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,193 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after selling 6,235 shares during the quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $2,915,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Centerpoint Advisory Group grew its stake in Home Depot by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Centerpoint Advisory Group now owns 3,163 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $1,160,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Disciplined Investors L.L.C. boosted its position in Home Depot by 2.3% in the second quarter. Disciplined Investors L.L.C. now owns 1,178 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $432,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Brio Consultants LLC boosted its position in Home Depot by 4.7% in the second quarter. Brio Consultants LLC now owns 574 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $210,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Emprise Bank increased its holdings in Home Depot by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Emprise Bank now owns 3,135 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,270,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, BWM Planning LLC raised its position in Home Depot by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. BWM Planning LLC now owns 4,105 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,505,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.86% of the company’s stock.

Home Depot Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of Home Depot stock opened at $378.92 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $354.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $378.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.82, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 1.05. The Home Depot, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $326.31 and a fifty-two week high of $426.75. The company has a market cap of $377.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.01 and a beta of 1.08.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 18th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.83 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $41.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $41.06 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 8.77% and a return on equity of 160.74%. Home Depot’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.78 EPS. Home Depot has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.478-14.478 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 4th were paid a dividend of $2.30 per share. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 4th. Home Depot’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.71%.

Insider Activity

In other Home Depot news, EVP Angie Brown sold 1,946 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $357.63, for a total transaction of $695,947.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,941 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,409,419.83. This represents a 33.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 2,872 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.52, for a total transaction of $1,000,949.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,196 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,599,069.92. The trade was a 17.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 4,963 shares of company stock worth $1,748,845 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Home Depot from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 27th. Wolfe Research upped their price target on shares of Home Depot from $414.00 to $415.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets increased their price target on Home Depot from $348.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Wall Street Zen cut Home Depot from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their target price on Home Depot from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $402.67.

Home Depot Company Profile

The Home Depot, Inc (NYSE: HD) is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and an integrated online platform offering a broad range of products and services for do-it-yourself consumers, professional contractors and businesses. The company was founded in 1978 by Bernard Marcus and Arthur Blank and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Since opening its first stores at the end of the 1970s, Home Depot has grown into a multinational retailer known for its orange-branded stores and wide assortment of home improvement merchandise.

Home Depot’s core business includes the sale of building materials, lumber, tools, hardware, appliances, paint, plumbing and electrical supplies, lawn and garden products, and home décor.