Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 5,294 Shares of The Home Depot, Inc. $HD

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group increased its stake in The Home Depot by 5,294 shares (0.4%), bringing its holdings to 1,322,047 shares valued at about $454.9 million (≈0.13% of the company).
• Home Depot beat quarterly estimates, reporting $2.72 EPS versus $2.52 expected and $38.20 billion in revenue, though revenue was down 3.8% year‑over‑year and FY2026 guidance is $14.230–$14.799 EPS.
• Shares are trading lower (down ~3.5%) amid geopolitical and energy headwinds and operational risks, even as analysts hold a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $414.17 and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $2.33 (3.0% yield).

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,322,047 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 5,294 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.13% of Home Depot worth $454,916,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Parvin Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 110.0% during the 3rd quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC now owns 63 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Key Capital Management INC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Financially Speaking Inc bought a new stake in Home Depot in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Home Depot during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Disciplined Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 70.86% of the company's stock.

Home Depot Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of Home Depot stock opened at $312.55 on Tuesday. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 12-month low of $312.26 and a 12-month high of $426.75. The stock has a market cap of $311.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.96, a P/E/G ratio of 3.54 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's 50 day moving average is $343.27 and its 200-day moving average is $359.02.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The home improvement retailer reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.20. Home Depot had a return on equity of 134.32% and a net margin of 8.60%.The company had revenue of $38.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $38.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.13 EPS. The business's revenue 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. Equities research analysts predict that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Home Depot Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $2.33 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $9.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. This is an increase from Home Depot's previous quarterly dividend of $2.30. Home Depot's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HD shares. Truist Financial set a $424.00 price target on Home Depot in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Zacks Research raised Home Depot from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. 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 research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Home Depot in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Home Depot from $441.00 to $422.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $414.17.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Richard V. Mcphail sold 2,550 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $368.89, for a total transaction of $940,669.50. Following the sale, 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 SEC, which is available at this link. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Home Depot

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

• Positive Sentiment: Street sentiment remains supportive: brokerages give HD an average "Moderate Buy" and many analysts maintain buy/overweight ratings and multi-hundred-dollar price targets, which underpins medium-term upside expectations. The Home Depot, Inc. NYSE: HD Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks notes elevated investor attention on HD, highlighting that the name is in focus and may see volume/volatility as investors re‑weigh catalysts (earnings, guidance, macro). The Home Depot, Inc. (HD) is Attracting Investor Attention
• Negative Sentiment: Macro shock: renewed Middle East tensions lifted oil and pushed markets into a risk‑off posture, a direct driver of today’s decline for HD as cyclical/discretionary stocks underperform when energy and geopolitical risk rise. Home Depot falls 3.1% as broader market turns risk-off amid Middle East energy shock
• Negative Sentiment: Sector pressure from higher energy costs: Barron's flags an "oil squeeze" weighing on consumer budgets and the discretionary group’s relative performance versus the S&P — headwinds for big‑ticket and renovation spending. The Oil Squeeze Is Hitting Consumers Harder Than Investors. What That Means for Home Depot
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/reputational risk: a partner (Wren Kitchens) unexpectedly filed for Chapter 7 in the U.S., creating fulfilment/installation disruption and regulatory scrutiny that could pressure near‑term sales or customer experience in affected categories. The Bull Case For Home Depot Could Change Following Wren Kitchens’ Abrupt Bankruptcy Fallout
• Negative Sentiment: Labor/regulatory risk: coverage highlights potential strain from minimum‑wage and wage‑policy changes that could increase labor costs and compress margins if enacted or broadly adopted. Home Depot Stock Slides as Minimum Wage Rules Under Strain
• Negative Sentiment: Sentiment/inflows: Quiver highlights recent insider sales and large institutional trimming in recent quarters — signals that can add downward pressure during risk‑off episodes. Home Depot falls 3.1% as broader market turns risk-off amid Middle East energy shock

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.

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