Gateway Investment Advisers LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 5.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 272,810 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 14,133 shares during the quarter. Home Depot makes up 1.1% of Gateway Investment Advisers LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC's holdings in Home Depot were worth $99,982,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Group Ltd. lifted its position in Home Depot by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 563 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $219,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Tallon Kerry Patrick bought a new stake in Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at about $281,000. Capital & Planning LLC increased its stake in Home Depot by 110.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital & Planning LLC now owns 1,074 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $418,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. increased its stake in Home Depot by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 4,537 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,765,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Home Depot by 36.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 26,918 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $10,471,000 after purchasing an additional 7,203 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Home Depot news, EVP Fahim Siddiqui sold 2,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.14, for a total transaction of $954,564.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,919,130.14. This represents a 24.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 5,406 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.28, for a total transaction of $1,996,327.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,367 shares in the company, 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 owned by insiders.

Home Depot Trading Down 0.5%

HD stock traded down $1.83 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $367.45. 2,347,724 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,409,497. 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 Home Depot, Inc. has a one year low of $323.93 and a one year high of $439.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $365.59 billion, a PE ratio of 24.96, a PEG ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.02. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $361.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $384.72.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.56 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.59 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $39.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.24 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 452.60% and a net margin of 9.45%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.63 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a $2.30 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on HD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $410.00 to $418.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $470.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Monday. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Home Depot from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, 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 research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.