Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan Increases Stock Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Key Points

• Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan increased its Home Depot stake by 32.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 9,538 more shares and bringing its total holdings to 38,692 shares valued at about $13.3 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but generally positive, with 20 Buy ratings, 12 Holds and 1 Sell; the consensus view is a Moderate Buy and an average price target of $405.66.
• Home Depot shares were down 2.3% to $297.34, near their 52-week low, even after the company beat quarterly EPS estimates and raised its dividend to $2.33 per share quarterly.

Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan raised its stake in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 32.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,692 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 9,538 shares during the quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan's holdings in Home Depot were worth $13,314,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Home Depot by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 249,036 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $85,693,000 after purchasing an additional 1,741 shares during the period. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Home Depot by 308.7% during the fourth quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 13,463 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $4,632,000 after buying an additional 10,169 shares during the period. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp increased its position in shares of Home Depot by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp now owns 1,770 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $609,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Arjuna Capital raised its stake in Home Depot by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 19,153 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $6,591,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lawood & Co. bought a new position in Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth about $1,766,000. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on Home Depot from $390.00 to $365.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Daiwa Securities Group raised their target price on Home Depot from $360.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Home Depot from $450.00 to $400.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore reduced their price target on Home Depot from $425.00 to $415.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Home Depot from $422.00 to $421.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $405.66.

Home Depot Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of NYSE:HD opened at $297.34 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $331.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $354.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $296.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a PEG ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.00. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12-month low of $296.88 and a 12-month high of $426.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.62.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.20. Home Depot had a return on equity of 134.32% and a net margin of 8.60%.The firm had revenue of $38.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $38.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.13 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.230-14.799 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th were given a dividend of $2.33 per share. This is a positive change from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $9.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Home Depot's payout ratio is currently 65.50%.

Trending Headlines about Home Depot

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

• Positive Sentiment: Telsey Advisory reiterated a Buy rating on Home Depot, suggesting at least one Wall Street firm still sees value in the shares despite recent volatility.
• Positive Sentiment: Some commentary has highlighted Home Depot as a potential beneficiary if housing turnover and mortgage-rate conditions improve, which could support future sales and earnings.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are watching Home Depot closely ahead of earnings on May 19, with articles focusing on whether pro demand, digital tools, and repair projects can offset a weaker housing backdrop.
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Home Depot can perform well in a lower-rate environment, but also noted the stock needs stronger housing turnover to really accelerate.
• Negative Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein cut its price target on Home Depot to $365 from $390 and kept a Market Perform rating, reflecting a more cautious view on near-term upside.
• Negative Sentiment: A new class-action lawsuit reportedly pressured the stock, adding legal uncertainty at an already sensitive time for investors.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent pre-earnings pullback and broader worries about housing turnover have also weighed on sentiment, helping explain why Home Depot stock has been moving lower.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Home Depot news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $368.89, for a total value of $940,669.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 44,566 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,439,951.74. The trade was a 5.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Home Depot Company Profile

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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