Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 68,656 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Key Points

• Handelsbanken Fonder AB reduced its Home Depot stake by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 68,656 shares and leaving it with 465,450 shares valued at about $160.2 million.
• Analysts remain mixed on Home Depot: several firms cut price targets recently, but the stock still carries a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with a $401.34 target price.
• Home Depot recently reported better-than-expected earnings of $2.72 per share on $38.2 billion in revenue and also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.33 per share, while its stock was trading near $299.98.

Handelsbanken Fonder AB decreased its position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 12.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 465,450 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 68,656 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in Home Depot were worth $160,161,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HD. Parvin Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 110.0% during the third quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Key Capital Management INC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Financially Speaking Inc bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Disciplined Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Home Depot during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on HD. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Home Depot from $424.00 to $394.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on Home Depot from $391.00 to $348.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Home Depot from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Home Depot from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Home Depot from $413.00 to $409.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Home Depot currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $401.34.

Home Depot Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of Home Depot stock opened at $299.98 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $330.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $353.57. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12-month low of $296.88 and a 12-month high of $426.75. The company has a market capitalization of $298.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.62.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $38.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $38.01 billion. Home Depot had a return on equity of 134.32% and a net margin of 8.60%.Home Depot's revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.13 earnings per share. Home Depot has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.230-14.799 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were paid a $2.33 dividend. This is a boost from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $9.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio is currently 65.50%.

Home Depot News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts still see upside potential, with Barclays remaining constructive on Home Depot amid improving fundamentals and easier comparisons, while other commentary suggests the company could benefit if housing activity stabilizes. Barclays Bullish on Home Depot Inc. (HD) amid Improving Fundamentals and Comparisons
• Positive Sentiment: Several previews argue the upcoming earnings report could reveal stronger-than-expected performance and potentially reset expectations higher if Home Depot shows resilience in sales and profitability. Home Depot's Next Earnings Report on May 19 Could Send the Stock Soaring. Here's Why.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street expects a big post-earnings move, with options traders pricing in a sizable swing around the results, but that reflects uncertainty rather than a clear directional catalyst. Home Depot (HD) Stock Options Traders Are Pricing In a $15 Price Swing after Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler said demand trends remain sluggish and trimmed its price target slightly, reinforcing concerns that Home Depot’s near-term sales growth could stay muted. Home Depot (HD) Faces Sluggish Demand Trends, Says Piper Sandler
• Negative Sentiment: Oppenheimer cut its price target sharply to $310 and moved to a market-perform rating, signaling more caution ahead of earnings as investors worry about housing weakness and consumer pressure. Semi And Options Mania Collide With Bond Rout Ahead Of Earnings From Nvidia, Home Depot, Walmart
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple previews say Home Depot may lower full-year guidance when it reports, which would likely pressure the stock if management confirms softer demand and margin headwinds. Home Depot, Lowe's Seen Trimming Full-Year Outlook as Macro Pressures Build, Oppenheimer Says

Insider Transactions at Home Depot

In other Home Depot news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.89, for a total value of $940,669.50. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Home Depot Company Profile

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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