Griffith & Werner Inc. Takes $3.60 Million Position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Griffith & Werner Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 9,253 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,599,000. Home Depot comprises about 2.4% of Griffith & Werner Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Home Depot in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Home Depot during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of Home Depot by 220.0% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 96 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Home Depot Price Performance

NYSE:HD traded down $1.92 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $366.14. The stock had a trading volume of 1,163,081 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,421,849. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $360.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $386.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The Home Depot, Inc. has a one year low of $323.77 and a one year high of $439.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $363.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.86, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Home Depot Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $2.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 5th. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio is 62.42%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $398.00 price objective (up from $380.00) on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Evercore ISI set a $400.00 price target on shares of Home Depot and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. HSBC raised shares of Home Depot from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $356.00 to $410.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $450.00 to $435.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Home Depot from a "moderate sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Seven 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $426.77.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Depot

In related news, EVP Fahim Siddiqui sold 2,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.14, for a total value of $954,564.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Home Depot 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.