Impax Asset Management Group plc Grows Stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 13.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,306 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 1,301 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc's holdings in Home Depot were worth $4,144,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Blueprint LLC grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 13.1% during the 1st quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 10,241 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $3,753,000 after purchasing an additional 1,185 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management increased its position in shares of Home Depot by 21.7% in the first quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 31,676 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $11,609,000 after buying an additional 5,650 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Home Depot by 10.4% in the first quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,480 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $1,275,000 after buying an additional 327 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. raised its stake in shares of Home Depot by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 12,711 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $4,658,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. Finally, IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its position in shares of Home Depot by 9.1% during the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 202,431 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $82,025,000 after buying an additional 16,802 shares in the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Home Depot Trading Down 1.1%

HD traded down $4.17 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $367.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,431,640 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,438,176. The stock has a market cap of $365.65 billion, a PE ratio of 24.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.00. The Home Depot, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $326.31 and a fifty-two week high of $439.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.95, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The business's 50-day moving average is $365.14 and its 200-day moving average is $376.15.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.56 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.59 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $39.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.24 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 8.98% and a return on equity of 242.51%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.63 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th were paid a $2.30 dividend. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 5th. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.42%.

Insider Activity at Home Depot

In other news, EVP Fahim Siddiqui sold 2,600 shares of the firm'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 value of $954,564.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,951 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,919,130.14. This trade represents a 24.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.28, for a total value of $1,996,327.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 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. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on HD. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $415.00 price objective (up from $410.00) on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Home Depot from $470.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Home Depot from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $405.00 to $425.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Evercore ISI set a $400.00 price objective on Home Depot and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on Home Depot from $450.00 to $435.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.