Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Has $54.19 Million Stock Position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 17.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 139,305 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 20,767 shares during the quarter. Home Depot accounts for 1.1% of Ceredex Value Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC's holdings in Home Depot were worth $54,188,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in Home Depot by 200.0% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 102 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Home Depot Stock Up 2.6 %

Home Depot stock traded up $8.86 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $354.85. The stock had a trading volume of 3,231,380 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,470,719. The stock has a market capitalization of $352.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.09. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $369.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $394.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 1.13. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 1-year low of $323.77 and a 1-year high of $439.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.09. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The company had revenue of $39.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.15 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.82 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $2.30 per share. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.59%. This is an increase from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio is currently 61.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on HD shares. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $440.00 to $430.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $455.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $440.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded Home Depot from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Home Depot has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $434.08.

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.