8,893 Shares in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Acquired by Elefante Mark B

Elefante Mark B acquired a new stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 8,893 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,459,000. Home Depot accounts for 3.2% of Elefante Mark B's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Home Depot by 220.0% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 96 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Home Depot Stock Performance

HD stock traded up $13.35 during trading on Monday, reaching $376.06. 3,831,306 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,569,530. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $358.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $388.66. The company has a market capitalization of $373.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.05. The Home Depot, Inc. has a twelve month low of $323.77 and a twelve month high of $439.37.

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

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a $2.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. This is a boost from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.25. Home Depot's payout ratio is 61.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on HD. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $440.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. HSBC upgraded Home Depot from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $356.00 to $410.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Gordon Haskett lowered Home Depot from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Home Depot from $470.00 to $410.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $430.32.

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.