Baillie Gifford & Co. Grows Position in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Key Points

• Baillie Gifford boosted its stake in The Home Depot by 16.8% in Q4 to 150,964 shares, worth about $51.95 million.
• Home Depot beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $2.72 (vs. $2.52) and revenue of $38.20B (vs. $38.01B), though revenue was down 3.8% year‑over‑year; the company set FY2026 guidance of 14.230–14.799 EPS (analysts expect ~15.13).
• The quarterly dividend was raised to $2.33 per share (annualized $9.32, yield ~2.7%), and Wall Street remains largely positive with a "Moderate Buy" consensus and an average target of $414.17 while institutional investors own ~70.9% of the stock.

Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 16.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 150,964 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 21,698 shares during the quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co.'s holdings in Home Depot were worth $51,947,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parvin Asset Management LLC raised its position in Home Depot by 110.0% in the third quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Financially Speaking Inc purchased a new position in Home Depot in the third quarter worth $31,000. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Home Depot in the third quarter worth $34,000. Dougherty Wealth Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Home Depot in the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, AXS Investments LLC purchased a new position in Home Depot in the third quarter worth $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Home Depot Stock Up 1.1%

Home Depot stock opened at $340.91 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.62, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $339.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 1.09. The Home Depot, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $315.31 and a fifty-two week high of $426.75. The stock's fifty day moving average is $355.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $363.93.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $38.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $38.01 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 134.32% and a net margin of 8.60%.Home Depot's revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.13 earnings per share. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.230-14.799 EPS. Analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $2.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. This is an increase from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. This represents a $9.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio is 65.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on HD. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. UBS Group reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $435.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Home Depot from $412.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on Home Depot from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Home Depot has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $414.17.

Insider Activity at Home Depot

In related news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.89, for a total transaction of $940,669.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 44,566 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,439,951.74. This trade represents a 5.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Home Depot

The Home Depot, Inc NYSE: HD is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and an integrated online platform offering a broad range of products and services for do-it-yourself consumers, professional contractors and businesses. The company was founded in 1978 by Bernard Marcus and Arthur Blank and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Since opening its first stores at the end of the 1970s, Home Depot has grown into a multinational retailer known for its orange-branded stores and wide assortment of home improvement merchandise.

Home Depot's core business includes the sale of building materials, lumber, tools, hardware, appliances, paint, plumbing and electrical supplies, lawn and garden products, and home décor.

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