Argus Investors Counsel Inc. Sells 748 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. cut its stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 16.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,706 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 748 shares during the period. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Home Depot were worth $1,358,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Quarry LP increased its holdings in Home Depot by 220.0% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 96 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Sellwood Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 102 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Home Depot from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Home Depot from $430.00 to $425.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. DA Davidson cut their target price on Home Depot from $470.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. HSBC raised Home Depot from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $356.00 to $410.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, KGI Securities upgraded Home Depot to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Home Depot currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $426.77.

Home Depot Trading Down 2.5%

HD stock traded down $9.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $354.10. The company had a trading volume of 3,362,684 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,408,835. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $362.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $382.50. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12 month low of $326.31 and a 12 month high of $439.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65. The stock has a market cap of $352.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.06, a PEG ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.02.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.56 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.59 by ($0.03). Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The firm had revenue of $39.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.24 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.63 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $2.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.60%. Home Depot's payout ratio is presently 62.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Depot

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