HighTower Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC cut its Home Depot stake by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 24,629 shares and leaving it with 923,920 shares valued at about $317.9 million.
• Analysts remain mixed on HD, with recent rating changes ranging from buy to hold; the stock currently carries a Moderate Buy consensus and a $401.34 average price target.
• Home Depot posted mixed fundamentals: it beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, but sales fell 3.8% year over year, and the company raised its dividend to $2.33 per share quarterly.

HighTower Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 923,920 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 24,629 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 0.09% of Home Depot worth $317,921,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Home Depot by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 99,635,779 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $34,284,672,000 after acquiring an additional 1,325,748 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in Home Depot by 0.3% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,400,133 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $4,619,229,000 after purchasing an additional 30,739 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Home Depot by 60.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,143,089 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $4,109,878,000 after purchasing an additional 3,836,051 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Home Depot by 2.0% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,130,293 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $4,104,694,000 after purchasing an additional 197,211 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of Home Depot by 1.9% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 6,181,165 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $2,504,546,000 after purchasing an additional 116,875 shares in the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on HD shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Home Depot in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. They set a "buy" rating and a $374.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Home Depot from $375.00 to $320.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised Home Depot from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on Home Depot from $407.00 to $445.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $401.34.

Insider Buying and Selling at Home Depot

In related news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.89, for a total transaction of $940,669.50. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 44,566 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,439,951.74. This trade represents a 5.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Home Depot News Roundup

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

Home Depot Price Performance

Home Depot stock opened at $299.98 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $298.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.08, a PEG ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.00. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $330.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $353.57. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52 week low of $296.88 and a 52 week high of $426.75.

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

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were given a dividend of $2.33 per share. 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio is currently 65.50%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.