Schechter Investment Advisors LLC Lowers Stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Schechter Investment Advisors LLC reduced its position in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD - Free Report) by 21.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,133 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock after selling 2,162 shares during the quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Home Depot were worth $2,981,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of HD. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Home Depot by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 95,763,752 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock worth $37,251,142,000 after acquiring an additional 875,836 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 21,957,463 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $8,525,046,000 after purchasing an additional 257,036 shares during the period. Asset Planning Services Inc. LA ADV raised its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 99,400.7% during the first quarter. Asset Planning Services Inc. LA ADV now owns 18,975,772 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $6,954,431,000 after purchasing an additional 18,956,701 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Home Depot during the 4th quarter worth about $5,032,910,000. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of Home Depot by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 12,455,582 shares of the home improvement retailer's stock valued at $4,845,098,000 after buying an additional 647,552 shares during the period. 70.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Fahim Siddiqui sold 2,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,951 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,919,130.14. This 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 stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 17,367 shares in the company, valued at $6,413,285.76. This trade represents a 23.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Home Depot Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HD traded down $3.15 during trading on Friday, reaching $370.15. 3,068,031 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,433,785. The stock has a market capitalization of $368.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.00. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $366.14 and a 200-day moving average of $375.43. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52-week low of $326.31 and a 52-week high of $439.37.

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

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th were issued a $2.30 dividend. This represents a $9.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 5th. Home Depot's payout ratio is 62.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on HD shares. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $450.00 price target on shares of Home Depot in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Home Depot from $450.00 to $435.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Gordon Haskett boosted their price target on shares of Home Depot from $350.00 to $360.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $430.00 to $425.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $420.00 price objective on shares of Home Depot and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-one have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $426.77.

Home Depot Company Profile

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.