Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Sells 9,660 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Key Points

• Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. has reduced its stake in The Home Depot by 14.8%, selling 9,660 shares and now holding 55,768 shares, valued at approximately $20.4 million.
• Insider trading activities reveal that two executive vice presidents sold a total of 6,483 shares recently, reflecting decreases in their positions of 25.45% and 20.67% respectively.
• Analysts have varying outlooks on Home Depot, with price targets ranging from $360 to $455 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 14.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,768 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 9,660 shares during the period. Home Depot makes up 0.8% of Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.'s holdings in Home Depot were worth $20,438,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot in the first quarter worth about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 86.8% in the first quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 99 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 35.7% in the first quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. now owns 114 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Vega Investment Solutions acquired a new position in shares of Home Depot in the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Edward P. Decker sold 32,897 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $397.22, for a total value of $13,067,346.34. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 122,425 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,629,658.50. This trade represents a 21.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 3,369 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $403.66, for a total transaction of $1,359,930.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 45,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,348,365.30. This represents a 6.90% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 46,532 shares of company stock valued at $18,648,987. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on HD shares. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 target price on shares of Home Depot in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. Gordon Haskett increased their price target on shares of Home Depot from $350.00 to $360.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Home Depot from $417.00 to $433.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Home Depot from $425.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Home Depot from $424.00 to $399.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $432.52.

Home Depot Stock Down 0.0%

HD traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $423.33. 5,003,133 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,571,611. The company has a market cap of $421.38 billion, a PE ratio of 28.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 1.00. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $388.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $372.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.31, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The Home Depot, Inc. has a one year low of $326.31 and a one year high of $439.37.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 19th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.69 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $45.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.43 billion. Home Depot had a net margin of 8.86% and a return on equity of 193.99%. Home Depot's revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.60 EPS. Home Depot has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.940-14.940 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 4th will be given a dividend of $2.30 per share. This represents a $9.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 4th. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.50%.

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.