Conning Inc. Has $33.38 Million Stock Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Key Points

• Conning Inc. increased its Home Depot stake by 14.9% in the fourth quarter, buying 12,546 more shares and bringing its total to 97,001 shares valued at about $33.38 million.
• Home Depot reported mixed recent performance: its latest quarterly EPS and revenue both topped estimates, but revenue still fell 3.8% year over year and the stock has recently traded near its 52-week low.
• Analysts remain generally constructive, with several firms maintaining Buy/Outperform ratings despite some price-target cuts; the consensus rating is still Moderate Buy with a $405.69 average price target.

Conning Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 14.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 97,001 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 12,546 shares during the period. Conning Inc.'s holdings in Home Depot were worth $33,378,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. increased its position in Home Depot by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. now owns 1,006 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Arcus Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Home Depot by 1.1% in the third quarter. Arcus Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,445 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $991,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Westfuller Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Home Depot by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Westfuller Advisors LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $456,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Home Depot by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,949 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $1,703,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alesco Advisors LLC grew its stake in Home Depot by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Alesco Advisors LLC now owns 866 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $298,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of the 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 44,566 shares in the company, valued at $16,439,951.74. This represents a 5.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Home Depot Stock Up 0.6%

HD stock opened at $304.46 on Friday. The Home Depot, Inc. has a twelve month low of $299.27 and a twelve month high of $426.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.62. The stock's 50 day moving average is $333.21 and its 200-day moving average is $354.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $303.25 billion, a PE ratio of 21.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 1.00.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts' expectations of $38.01 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 134.32% and a net margin of 8.60%.Home Depot's quarterly revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.13 earnings per share. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.230-14.799 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

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

Home Depot News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Telsey Advisory reiterated its Buy rating on Home Depot, adding to the view that the company remains a quality name ahead of earnings. Telsey Advisory Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Home Depot (HD)
• Positive Sentiment: Several market comments pointed to improving spring demand, stronger Pro customer activity, and continued big-ticket sales momentum, which could help offset housing-market weakness. Analyst Reaffirms Buy on Home Depot, Citing Resilient Spring Demand, Pro Strength, and Big-Ticket Sales Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Mortgage rates moved to five-week highs, but reports noted that homebuyers are still returning, which is a constructive sign for home-improvement demand and HD’s long-term sales outlook. Mortgage Rates Hit Five-Week Highs—But Homebuyers Are Returning, Boosting Home Depot, Lowe's And Other Builders
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Home Depot’s upcoming first-quarter earnings on May 19, with analysts watching whether sales growth, Pro demand, and digital tools can offset continued pressure from the weak housing market. Home Depot to Post Q1 Earnings: Is Now the Right Time to Invest?
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street cut some price targets, including Sanford C. Bernstein and Truist, but both firms kept constructive ratings overall, suggesting valuation concerns rather than a major change in the long-term outlook. Price target updates on Home Depot
• Negative Sentiment: Home Depot has been hit by a pre-earnings pullback as investors worry that housing turnover remains too weak to drive a near-term acceleration in DIY spending. Blue-Chip Stock Seeing a Pre-Earnings Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Broader housing-sector weakness continues to weigh on sentiment, with analysts noting that Home Depot’s business is sensitive to slower housing turnover and higher rates. Jim Cramer on Home Depot: “It Needs Housing Turnover”

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wolfe Research boosted their price objective on Home Depot from $413.00 to $414.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. UBS Group reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Home Depot from $420.00 to $375.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Home Depot from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $390.00 to $365.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $405.69.

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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