Associated Banc Corp Makes New Investment in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Key Points

• Associated Banc Corp initiated a position in Home Depot during the third quarter, buying 21,613 shares worth approximately $6.15 million. Institutional investors collectively own 70.86% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: Home Depot has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $375.31, though Stifel Nicolaus cut its target to $322 and rated the shares “hold.”
• Home Depot’s latest reported quarter beat estimates, with EPS of $4.92 and revenue of $47.86 billion, up 5.7% year over year. Shares were reported down 2.2%, amid concerns about a sluggish housing market.

Associated Banc Corp purchased a new position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 21,613 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock, valued at approximately $6,149,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of HD. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $80,000. Watershed Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Home Depot by 52.3% in the 3rd quarter. Watershed Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,156 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $329,000 after buying an additional 397 shares during the period. Richwood Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Home Depot by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Richwood Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,818 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,371,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the period. Integrity Advisory Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Home Depot by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. Integrity Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 2,696 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $767,000 after buying an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Home Depot by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC now owns 2,564 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $729,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HD has been the subject of a number of research reports. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Home Depot in a report on Monday, August 10th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Home Depot from $346.00 to $322.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 26th. KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $398.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Home Depot currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $375.31.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Depot

In related news, EVP Michael Rowe sold 710 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $336.76, for a total transaction of $239,099.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,838 shares in the company, valued at $2,302,764.88. The trade was a 9.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Richard McPhail sold 5,989 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $348.40, for a total value of $2,086,567.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 48,104 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,759,433.60. The trade was a 11.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 9,829 shares of company stock valued at $3,339,314 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

More Home Depot News

Here are the key news stories impacting Home Depot this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Home Depot recently beat earnings expectations, supporting optimism about its ability to deliver results even in a challenging housing environment. Home Depot Stock Could Be Poised for a Turnaround
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights Home Depot’s 17 consecutive years of dividend increases and its scale, which may help it remain resilient and sustain shareholder returns through a weak housing cycle. Home Depot Has Raised Its Dividend 17 Straight Years
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst-oriented coverage says Home Depot has a record of earnings surprises and may be positioned to beat estimates again; this is a forecast, not a reported result. The company will hold its third-quarter earnings call on November 17. Will Home Depot Beat Estimates Again? Third Quarter Earnings Call Announcement
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s weakness amid a broader-market uptick suggests investors remain cautious. Recent commentary cites a historically sluggish housing market and shares being down for the year as factors that could weigh on expectations for renovation-related spending. Home Depot Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick

Home Depot Trading Down 2.2%

NYSE:HD opened at $333.49 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $332.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.03, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.93. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52 week low of $277.15 and a 52 week high of $397.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.64. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $308.48 and a 200 day moving average of $334.51.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 18th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.73 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $47.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $47.24 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 8.41% and a return on equity of 106.42%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.68 earnings per share. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.690-15.278 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd were paid a $2.33 dividend. This represents a $9.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 3rd. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.22%.

Home Depot Company Profile

The Home Depot, Inc is a home improvement retailer serving do-it-yourself customers, professional contractors, and other building and maintenance professionals. The company sells a broad selection of building materials, hardware, tools, appliances, paint, plumbing and electrical supplies, flooring, lighting, lawn and garden products, and home décor.

In addition to merchandise, Home Depot offers services such as product delivery, tool and equipment rental, credit services, and installation for selected products.

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