Advisory Alpha LLC Reduces Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Advisory Alpha LLC decreased its position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 36.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,815 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 2,776 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC's holdings in Home Depot were worth $1,765,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HD. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 65.2% during the fourth quarter. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc now owns 9,100 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $3,535,000 after purchasing an additional 3,590 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 19.5% during the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 23,758 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $9,242,000 after purchasing an additional 3,873 shares during the period. Disciplined Investors L.L.C. bought a new position in Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth $409,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth $3,193,000. Finally, Umpqua Bank raised its stake in Home Depot by 26.5% during the fourth quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 6,173 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $2,425,000 after buying an additional 1,294 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Home Depot Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Home Depot stock traded down $0.43 during trading on Monday, reaching $367.86. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,505,075 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,421,269. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $323.93 and a 52-week high of $439.37. The company has a market cap of $365.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.99, a PEG ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's 50-day moving average is $360.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $385.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.59 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $39.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $39.24 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.63 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be issued a $2.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.50%. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on HD shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Monday. Evercore ISI set a $400.00 price target on shares of Home Depot and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Home Depot from $430.00 to $425.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, TD Securities lowered shares of Home Depot to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $426.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.