Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Acquires 13,856 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 66.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,639 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 13,856 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Home Depot were worth $13,474,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its position in Home Depot by 220.0% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 96 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on HD shares. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Home Depot from $440.00 to $430.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Home Depot from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. KGI Securities raised shares of Home Depot to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Gordon Haskett cut Home Depot from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Home Depot from $431.00 to $424.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Home Depot has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $434.08.

Home Depot Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HD opened at $364.41 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $362.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.76, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $360.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $390.53. The Home Depot, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $323.77 and a fifty-two week 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 - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $39.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.15 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The business's revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.82 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a $2.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This is an increase from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.52%. Home Depot's payout ratio is 61.66%.

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.

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