Challenger Wealth Management Buys Shares of 3,827 The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Challenger Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,827 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,489,000. Home Depot comprises 1.3% of Challenger Wealth Management's holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ascent Group LLC increased its position in Home Depot by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 28,831 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $11,215,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the period. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth approximately $180,000. Aurdan Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth approximately $676,000. Perennial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,609,000. Finally, Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $132,000. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Home Depot Stock Performance

Shares of Home Depot stock traded up $0.02 on Thursday, reaching $368.08. 2,520,535 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,429,044. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company's 50-day moving average is $360.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $386.56. The firm has a market cap of $365.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.01, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.05. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 1-year low of $323.77 and a 1-year high of $439.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $39.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.63 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $2.30 per share. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. Home Depot's payout ratio is currently 62.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Depot

In other news, EVP Fahim Siddiqui sold 2,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $367.14, for a total transaction of $954,564.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,951 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,919,130.14. This trade represents a 24.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 5,406 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,367 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,413,285.76. This trade represents a 23.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on HD. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $398.00 price target (up from $380.00) on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Home Depot from $410.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. DA Davidson lowered their price target on Home Depot from $470.00 to $450.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. TD Securities reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $470.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, KGI Securities raised shares of Home Depot to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $426.77.

About Home Depot

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.