The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) Stake Cut by Generali Investments Management Co LLC

Generali Investments Management Co LLC lessened its position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 26.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,553 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 3,010 shares during the quarter. Home Depot makes up about 0.9% of Generali Investments Management Co LLC's holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Generali Investments Management Co LLC's holdings in Home Depot were worth $3,135,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Group Ltd. raised its stake in Home Depot by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Group Ltd. now owns 563 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $219,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Tallon Kerry Patrick acquired a new position in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at about $281,000. Capital & Planning LLC raised its stake in Home Depot by 110.2% in 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 during the last quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. raised its stake in Home Depot by 0.7% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Home Depot by 36.5% in 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on HD shares. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Home Depot from $424.00 to $399.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Home Depot from $445.00 to $420.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on Home Depot from $470.00 to $450.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Home Depot from $450.00 to $435.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Home Depot from $410.00 to $418.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Home Depot currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $426.77.

Home Depot Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE:HD traded down $1.83 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $367.45. The stock had a trading volume of 2,347,724 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,409,495. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 1-year low of $323.93 and a 1-year high of $439.37. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $361.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $384.99. The company has a market cap of $365.59 billion, a PE ratio of 24.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.05.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.56 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $39.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.24 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.63 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 EPS for the current year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be paid a dividend of $2.30 per share. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.42%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Fahim Siddiqui sold 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,919,130.14. This represents a 24.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 5,406 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $369.28, for a total value of $1,996,327.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Home Depot Company Profile

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.